Who is My Redeemer? Who is My Foe?
"I love you, O Lord, my strength. 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. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, I am saved from my enemies."
Psalm 18:1-3
If you feel pursued today by some relentless and ruthless doom, do not lose heart. Be courageous and faithful to your God. He has not forgotten you or abandoned you to the clutches of the devil. That is who seeks to devour you and drag you down with him, to Sheol. It may be the flu or cancer, or a heart attack brought on by the stress of this present pandemonium. It may be that you are in extreme financial distress and worried about your family or business obligations. Satan’s real purpose is to make you abandon your faith in God.
This is the perfect time for Satan to pounce. People are depressed and afraid. They are suspicious and easily convinced that their problems are somebody else’s fault, but we know that it is the devil who sets the traps for us. People like to think someone or something will rescue them. Satan scents our desperation and fear. He knows our weaknesses and preys on them with ferocious schemes. He sets his pack on our trail and commands that we be broken and dismayed, and devoured.
O my God, let me not be drawn into the schemes of Satan. Let me neither become his victim nor his instrument. Let me never mislead my friends willingly or not. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
I do not mean to be anyone’s enemy, but I know that I could be deceived and misled. It has happened to me before. And even though I love you, I could say or do something that served Satan’s will, not God’s.
Reflection on God’s word and His will for my life is a critical need, and not only when times are hard. He speaks if I’m listening. He speaks if I open His book. He speaks if I open my heart to Him in prayer. He speaks if I recall a single memory verse, or even a phrase of His word at an appropriate moment. Sometimes He speaks to me best in the powerful songs of the saints.
Hard times are now upon us all. We are living in constraints that are uncomfortable. We can’t get out of town. We can’t go out to eat. We’re supposed to wear masks if we go to the store. We can’t “go to church” as we may have done all our lives. There’s no hand-shaking, back-patting, holy-hugging or kissing. And it may get much worse before it gets better.
Remember, my friends, our redeemer is not a politician or a doctor. He’s no judge or general. Our savior is God, Almighty. It is He who raises us up and rescues us from our despair. No matter what happens, let us love Him, for He is worthy! Let us thank Him, for He is merciful! Let us praise Him, for He is glorious!