2002-01-01
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Today the Lord leads me to share with you some citations that reveal Him as the Lord of Our Salvation. His timing is so perfect, as we had just been discussing HE 11, the great chapter on faith in my Sunday school class. Learning about God through obeying Him has its gifts that come to us. One of them, the most important of them, is salvation. Now that’s grace! There is nothing new about God’s efforts to have us see Him as the God of Our Salvation. I am hoping you will find in this message a love letter just for us from our loving Abba. Look at these citations to see what I mean.
I’m sure you remember the story from Exodus of how the Jews under Moses’ leadership crossed the Red Sea while chased by their former Egyptian captors. God’s incredible intervention in this episode is testament of His enormous love for His people. This adventurous and successful crossing would have never been possible if Moses and the Hebrews had refused to obey God. There would have been no Passover either. Afterward, Moses sang his song of deliverance and redemption in EX 15: 1-18, which I hope you will read. God’s attribute discussed here isn’t lost on Moses. EX 15: 2, “The Lord is my strong Defender; He is the One Who has saved me. He is my God, and I will praise Him, my father’s God, and I will sing about His greatness. The Lord is a Warrior; the Lord is His name.”
Moses is not the only person who recognized God as the God of Salvation. The judge and prophet Samuel’s, mother, Hannah knew this through her obedience. Hannah was worshipping in the temple and prayed to God for a child, something denied her until then. God knew Hannah to be a faithful women and answered her prayer soon after. To offer her thanks to God, Hannah promised to dedicate her son, Samuel, to a life-long service to God. Once she had turned over the boy to Eli, the temple priest, Hannah offered her very special prayer found in 1SAM 2: 1-11, which I hope you will read. For now, look at 1 SAM 2: 1, “Hannah prayed, ‘The Lord has filled my heart with joy; how happy I am because of what He has done! I laugh at my enemies; how joyful I am because God has helped me!’ “ The joy that Hannah speaks of is the joy anyone would have in victory over the forces of evil. (Her husband’s other wife, Peninnah, had been pretty cruel toward Hannah because she had been without child for so long). It doesn’t matter what form the evil in our life takes, when we obey God, we are taking the first step toward victory over it. Now, that’s reason to feel joy.
David was chased, harassed, and threatened for a long time by Saul. Living in this situation had to have been frightening and wearing on him. God had anointed David king, and Saul was refusing to accept that the authority had been taken away from him due to his disobedience. Eventually, Saul was stopped, and victory was David’s. Afterward, David sang his song of victory. Note his acknowledgment of God as the God of Salvation. 2 SAM 22: 36, “O Lord, you protect me and save me; Your help has made me great.” We get an even clearer picture of this in PS 18: 35, “O Lord, You protect and save me; Your care has made me great, and Your power has kept me safe.” There are a couple of other citations in the Psalms which contain precious reminders of this acknowledgment. PS 51 is a prayer for forgiveness mentioned in yesterday’s message. Look at PS 51: 12, “Restore unto me the joy of your salvation and make me willing to obey You,” David prays. There’s a prayer we all need to say. It is one thing to ask God for these things; it is another thing to have the faith to have confidence that God will answer this prayer. David had that confidence, and we can see it in PS 62: 1-2, Confidence in God’s Protection-God Alone! “I wait patiently for God to save me; I depend on Him alone. He alone protects and saves me. He is my Defender, and I shall never be defeated.” David’s victory is a victory that came from obedience to God. God revealed Himself as David’s Savior, and all of us who believe became victors. That is because Jesus Christ is from the royal line of David, and our salvation comes directly from faith in Him!
Right after the prophet, Isaiah, spoke of the peaceful Kingdom to come [God’s Kingdom], he made a prophecy that has huge implications for us and generations to come. IS 11: 10, “A day is coming when the new king from the royal line of David will be a symbol to the nations. They will gather in his royal city and give Him honor.” In (12) we learn another prophecy, “The Lord will raise a signal flag to show the nations that He is gathering together again the scattered people of Israel and Judah and bringing them back from the four corners of the earth.” What a gift that only God’s power as the God of Our Salvation could bring! Afterward, a hymn of thanksgiving called the Song of the Redeemer was sung. IS 12: 2, “God is my Savior; I will trust Him and not be afraid. The Lord gives me power and strength; He is my Savior.” You can read the entire song in IS 12; 1-6. Look at all the witnesses living in different times in man’s history who all give the same testimony.
At the time Jeremiah was alive, God pronounced judgment on Jehoiachin, the king of Judah. Jewish disobedience under Jehoiachin’s leadership had become so abhorrent to God that the Lord was ready to take action. God did this by allowing Judah’s enemies, the Babylonians under Nebuchanezzar, to invade Judah and take the Jews into captivity. This was accomplished beginning in 605 BC during Jehoiachin’s reign. Yet a compassionate Lord charged Jeremiah to deliver the message found in JER 23: 5-6. “The Lord says, ‘The time is coming when I will choose as King, a righteous descendant of David. That King will rule wisely and do what is right and just throughout the land. When He is King, the people of Judah will be safe, and the people of Israel will live in peace. He will be called the Lord is Our Salvation.’ “ More tomorrow on this great subject. In the meanwhile, join me in this prayer:
PRAYER: O Lord, You stand in the gap for us. In times when evil seems to have a stranglehold on the world we live in, You provide us with hope and seek to reveal Your wonderful attributes to us. While Your ways are not the easy ways and require our willingness to obey, You offer those who are faithful Your mighty power and help. Our faith in You brings us salvation. You deserve our humble obedience, praise, and everlasting love. You are the God of Our Salvation. In Christ’s name, amen.
Feel loved today, because He is there for you. By your faith in Him and trust of Him, He provides you with His mighty power to carry out His will. You are never alone, because Your Lord is with you. Peter and I also send our love.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn