PRAISE & PRAYER PROMPT ••• With few exceptions, the term “deliver” rings with excitement and possibilities.
The delivery of a baby is met with joy and happiness…
And on the other end of the spectrum of extremes, the delivery of a pizza may bring its own brand of happiness.
(Especially when you’re on the verge of “hangry!”)
Everyone enjoys a moment of elation when they find their recent Amazon order has delivered and in December, the drivers of FedEx, UPS, and the USPS all enjoy an upswing in their popularity as they make their deliveries.
We get excited about these things.
In 2 Samuel 22, David wrote a song about being delivered.
Consider the first stanza of the song found in verses 2-4 ESV.
“He said, “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.’”
This song was about how God delivered David from Saul who was relentlessly pursuing him in an attempt to kill him.
It’s not likely that you are being chased by an angry king, but you do have an enemy who wants to destroy you.
Satan has despised mankind since he first tempted Eve with fruit in the garden.
He may lure us under the pretense of friendliness, but there is no friendship with the enemy of God.
And God, in His infinite love for humanity, offers us deliverance.
The cross is the symbol of complete delivery from sin, addiction, poor choices, disappointments, hurt, anger, regret, shame, discouragement, hopelessness, and the list goes on culminating in the ultimate deliverance—delivery from eternal punishment in hell.
After we accept Jesus as our Savior, we recognize His deliverance, but time has a way of dulling the joy of that exciting moment.
Jesus spoke these words to the church at Ephesus, “But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first” (Revelation 2:4 ESV).
Jesus, our Deliverer, should be our first love and if we go back to David’s song in 2 Samuel, we find the answer to return to our first love—“I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised.”
When we keep praise for our Deliverer on our lips and in our hearts, we are able to stay focused on our first love—The One who redeemed and delivered us with His own blood.
Today, as you pray, give praise to the Savior who is worthy of all praise.
Thank Him for delivering you.
Ask the Holy Spirit to help you stay focused on your first love and to not take the delivery from your sins for granted.
