DELIVERANCE
Roy Clark
“Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all” – Psalm 34:19.
This scripture gives us great assurance and confidence that though our trials be many, God is always faithful to deliver and give victory in every situation. Affliction here means adversity, distress, tribulation or trouble.
We are never given the promise that we will have not trouble, when we walk with God. On the contrary, we are told that we will have troubles but God will deliver us “out of them all.” Troubles come in all sizes, shapes and forms. They come at any time of day or night. They come to young and old alike, touching every area of our lives. Troubles come to all men whether they are believers or unbelievers. “Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble” Job 14:1.
Troubles cause us to seek God. “For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock” Psa. 27:5. What a wonderful hiding place, the Rock Christ Jesus! God allows trouble to come our way to teach us how to trust Him more. Through trouble, we can come to know the Lord in a way that might not otherwise have been possible. We get closer to Him when the distress gets great. He hides us, and we come to know “the secret of his tabernacle” – a place of closeness and sweet communion we might not otherwise have known.
Paul says, “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed” II Cor. 4:8,9. He says these trials come our way” …that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body” vs. 10. Then he follows with this wonderful summation, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal” vs. 17,18.
Although the words affliction, trouble, and distress (or variations of these words) are found in the Psalms more than a hundred times, the focus is not on the trial, but on the deliverance we have in the Lord. We find a hiding place; we learn of His grace and His mighty power. Our thoughts are directed in a positive way to evercoming and standing fast. It is a way of progress and growth. We could not learn His greatness without the trial.
God invites us to call upon Him in our time of trouble. “And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me” Psa. 50:15. Notice that He gets the glory. David says, “Quicken me, O LORD, for thy name’s sake: for thy righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble” Psa. 143:11. We are quickened, and His name is set forth, and His righteousness magnified. Praise Him!
