Redeeming Love
Stuck. In really deep snow. That is where my friend found herself after our Bible Study yesterday. Three of us tried to push her out but it was no use as our strength was not enough. We needed help. So we prayed and shortly after that a man drove by in a truck and offered to help. We said we needed a tow rope so he went home to get one. He was gone a long time ... or so it felt. Finally he arrived and after recruiting the help of another neighbour, two trucks and two tow ropes were enough to pull out the van.
While this whole procedure going on, I thought, "there has got to be something I can blog about from this". As I watched the vehicle being essentially lifted out of the ditch, I thought of Psalm 40:2a (NIV)
"He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire"
OK, so I know that mud and mire aren't deep snow but they can both leave you being stuck and helpless. And in both situations, rescue is needed. So today I am thinking about God's love as a redeeming or rescuing love. Love that hears our cries for help and acts. Look at the whole of Psalm 40
"I waited patiently for the Lord;
he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.
He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear the Lord
and put their trust in him"
God redeems our lives. Colossians 1:13-14 describes it this way:
" For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."
Interpreting these two passages together, we see that not only does he pull us out of the "muck" (sin or the domain of the devil), He puts us in a secure place (forgiven and in His kingdom) and enables us to praise Him. The result of this is others coming to trust Him. It really is truly amazing how God can take the terrible and turn it into something terrific!
This can happen on the grand scale of our lives but it also can happen on a smaller scale. There are times when we slip into pits that although we still are God's child, these pits do not reflect the Kingdom of God. We are living in darkness instead of the light. We are stuck and we need rescuing. God, in His love, will redeem us out of those pits as well. The one thing that we may find hard about all this is the waiting. Psalm 40:1 says "I waited patiently for the LORD". Yesterday, as we were waiting for the unknown man in the gray truck to come back, I was getting impatient. And of course, that got me questioning: Will he really come back? Can we trust him to keep his word? Waiting for God can also get us questioning Him.
And that is when we need to trust His love. Trust that He knows us and wants to help us. Trust that His will is for us to experience the freedom that comes in the kingdom of the Son. Trust that anytime we fall into a slimy pit, He will lift us out.
While this whole procedure going on, I thought, "there has got to be something I can blog about from this". As I watched the vehicle being essentially lifted out of the ditch, I thought of Psalm 40:2a (NIV)
"He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire"
OK, so I know that mud and mire aren't deep snow but they can both leave you being stuck and helpless. And in both situations, rescue is needed. So today I am thinking about God's love as a redeeming or rescuing love. Love that hears our cries for help and acts. Look at the whole of Psalm 40
"I waited patiently for the Lord;
he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.
He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear the Lord
and put their trust in him"
God redeems our lives. Colossians 1:13-14 describes it this way:
" For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."
Interpreting these two passages together, we see that not only does he pull us out of the "muck" (sin or the domain of the devil), He puts us in a secure place (forgiven and in His kingdom) and enables us to praise Him. The result of this is others coming to trust Him. It really is truly amazing how God can take the terrible and turn it into something terrific!
This can happen on the grand scale of our lives but it also can happen on a smaller scale. There are times when we slip into pits that although we still are God's child, these pits do not reflect the Kingdom of God. We are living in darkness instead of the light. We are stuck and we need rescuing. God, in His love, will redeem us out of those pits as well. The one thing that we may find hard about all this is the waiting. Psalm 40:1 says "I waited patiently for the LORD". Yesterday, as we were waiting for the unknown man in the gray truck to come back, I was getting impatient. And of course, that got me questioning: Will he really come back? Can we trust him to keep his word? Waiting for God can also get us questioning Him.
And that is when we need to trust His love. Trust that He knows us and wants to help us. Trust that His will is for us to experience the freedom that comes in the kingdom of the Son. Trust that anytime we fall into a slimy pit, He will lift us out.
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