When God does not 'rescue' us...

A couple of mornings ago I was reading in a daily devotional about the Israelites being chased by the Egyptian army. They were seemingly trapped between the Red Sea and the mountain and they were in despair and angry at God! Yet Moses told them to be still because God will come through for them…and He did.

Reading this scripture, I felt a pang of rebellion in my heart. I thought of all the situations given us in the Bible where God’s people were in trouble and He rescued them. Far from being comforted thereby, my rebellious heart cried out: But Lord, You do not always rescue. You do not always answer prayer. You do not always heal or keep death at bay and what are we to do then? 

I tried to think of people in the Bible whom God did not rescue…

Job came to mind first. He did lose everything and to me, much worse than his health, he did lose his children and, though God blessed him after his trials and gave him many more children, those he loved and lost could never be brought back. Yet he praised God. Next, I thought of Daniel’s three friends and Habakkuk who all proclaimed that even if God did not help them, they would still praise Him.  

These three instances show a very different attitude in faith than that of the Israelites of old. I could not help to wonder what would cause such a huge paradigm shift in one’s faith and where would I find myself on a scale between the demanding faith of the Israelites and the submissive faith of Job, Daniel’s friends and Habakkuk?

My thoughts further took me to Hebrews 11, also called the ‘hall of faith’. There we find two groups of people mentioned in verses 33-38. The first group was victorious in their trials and their faith. Through faith they “conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised.” They shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the sword. The verse says their weakness was turned to strength.  But there is also the second group who, though also worthy to be mentioned in Hebrews 11 for their perseverance in faith, did not share the same victory. Rather they were tortured, faced jeers and flogging, were chained and put in prison, stoned, sawed in to and put to death by the sword. They wandered in deserts, mountains, caves and holes in the ground. They did not gain what was promised. Their faith (and God) did not save them from their earthly dilemmas yet, they kept their faith! Two groups of people, two very different circumstances and outcomes but the same strong faith for both groups.

This morning I was again pondering all of life and faith, victory and apparent defeat, God rescuing and God not rescuing and what we are to make of it and where it leaves us in our faith…

“Lord,” I said, “I am trying so hard to perceive the voice of the Holy Spirit, to be filled with Him. I am trying hard to be wise, to understand and to know your truths and to be able to encourage others with it. Yet, for all my efforts, I still have to conclude with Job: “I spoke once, but I have no answer…” (Job 40:5) I do not have the answer for every situation in life and this perilous times we live in or for every issue of faith. 

But, as I acknowledged my frustration before the Lord, I became convinced above all doubt about one thing, the thing it all boils down to:

More than anything else, more than wisdom and understanding and knowledge, you and I need a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. We need to communicate with Him on all occasions, giving Him our heart at all times as it is…whether confused or angry or broken or happy and peaceful. It is in the personal relationship with the I AM that we find His sufficient grace enabling us to live on even if He does not and even if we don’t have the answers. It is in this personal relationship that we find He will reveal Himself to us and we will behold Him and we will find Him faithful, beautiful and the sole Lover of our souls.

As I confessed this belief to the Lord and prayed, “Lord help us to have such a relationship with You,” I heard the voice of the Holy Spirit calling out with my own spirit: “Abba Father, I will praise You!”

Amen! I found I could take another step forward into the new day.