God is Able #7. “He is able to deliver us.”

God is Able #7. “He is able to deliver us.”

Concerning deliverance, Jesus, in his model prayer, he tells us to pray:

“And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil” (Matthew 6:13).

I hope that I am wrong, but I have my doubts that too many of us stop to ask what we are requesting deliverance from.

During the normal course of the day all that we want to be delivered from are high prices, bad traffic and those that irritate. It’s when we quieten down and contemplate our spiritual wellbeing that we know that deliverance begins with the soul.

That “deliverance from evil” that we seek is from the devil and his power, snares, and temptations. And the more we grasp that reality, the more dangers we see around us.

Of course, the wise see this danger and move out of its path; that is common sense.

However, there are dangers, mundane and spiritual, that are not easily avoided. Some trials and temptations will descend upon you with swift destruction. Evil, like the rain, falls upon the just and the unjust.

Which begs the question: Should the faithful fear disaster?

This is one of those questions that is preferably pondered on someone else’s behalf. But make it personal, and doubts flood in.

Jesus delivers us from many of our daily fears by promising to provide for our physical needs. Concerning these, he commands us not to be anxious (Matthew 6:25-34). It is only when we are free from the doubts and worries of the day that we can deal effectively with the evils that beset us.

It is God who gives us our strength and peace for the day. Strength for our spirits, and peace for our souls.

But that which brings ultimate peace to the soul is deliverance from the fear of death:

“Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives” (Hebrews 2:14-15).

John Staiger

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