HOW often have we said or prayed, “Good Lord, deliver us,” and yet more often have we, possibly, prayed, “Deliver us from evil,” and yet still more, possibly, we have never thought what a wonderful word this “deliver” is, and how often it occurs in the word of God! Since I have been thinking about it, I find the word in different aspects in every part of the Bible. Our Lord Jesus Himself is called “the Deliverer” (Rom. 11:2626And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: (Romans 11:26)). This same word is taken from Isaiah’s prophecy, where it is proclaimed, “The Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord.”
Yes, our Saviour is our Deliverer, for He only is our Redeemer. Shall we not say each one with St. Paul in Romans 7:24: “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord”? Yes, Jesus can deliver us now from the sin which so easily besets us — open sins, or secret sins — He can now deliver us. Only believe and He will do it. In 2 Corinthians 1:10,10Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us; (2 Corinthians 1:10) there is a wonderful three-fold word, also in Psalms 116:8: “hath delivered,” “Both deliver,” and “will yet deliver.” Say this now out loud, and remember it continually. Then St. Peter says in 2 Peter 2:9: “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations,” even as He delivered just Lot. In Psalms 44:4,4Thou art my King, O God: command deliverances for Jacob. (Psalm 44:4) it says: “Thou art my King, O God; command deliverances for Jacob.”
Surely now is the time to pray this prayer, in this time of terrible warfare, when so many thousands are being slain for no reason whatever, but through the greed of one man. Command deliverances, O God. “Through thee will we push down our enemies; through thy name will we tread them under that rise against us. “Soon may we re-echo the psalmist’s words, “But thou hast saved us from our enemies.” “In God we boast all the day long and praise thy name forever.” We are to expect deliverance out of all trials; either temporal or spiritual, from internal foes, or external. Apply to Him as the Deliverer in every difficulty, until deliverance is no longer needed. “He will deliver thee in six troubles, and in seven no evil shall touch thee. “Trust Him, trust Him, moment by moment, hour by hour, by night, by day, and He will never fail. When that great good man, Grant of Arndilly, was dying, he once more declared it, for before his death he recovered from his awful agonies which he had suffered for days, and although a total abstainer all his life, his agonies were just like a drunkard suffering from delirium tremens. But graciously the Lord delivered him before the end came. He recovered speech, and then said, “All, all has failed. My doctors have failed, my friends have failed, yet I find Jesus has not failed. He never fails.” He is the great Deliverer and will deliver from all evil. His was an internal and spiritual deliverance. Now let me give you an external, a temporal deliverance.
A poor widow had no money, no work, and had no meal left; worse off than the widow of Sarepta. This one had none, but she knew the Lord. She went to prayer. A terrible snowstorm was raging without, all through the night and in the morning. She had nothing wherewith to make her daily porridge, but said she, “I’ll gang to prayer after I have set my pan on the fire to make it.” So kneeling down, she praised the Lord. A knock came to the door, but she said, “Na, na, it cannot come sae soon! “The knocking continued. She opened, and there stood a girl with a bag of oatmeal. “Father made me come, and a pretty hard job through the snow it has been to carry it!”
Just one word more about the middle word in 2 Corinthians 1:1010Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us; (2 Corinthians 1:10). The passage, as you know, runs thus: “Who delivered us ... doth deliver... will yet deliver.” The middle word, “doth deliver,” or, as it is expressed in Psalms 116 “delivered mine eyes from tears and my feet from falling.” This is a strong everyday deliverance if we will. “Jesus saves me now.” He will save me from bad temper today. He will save me today from committing my besetting infirmity, say sin. When temper rises, think “Jesus can save me now.” When irritability causes cross words, remember “Jesus saves me now.” He doth deliver from daily snares. Our gracious Lord saves us by His life from daily sin even as He saved us by His death from the penalty of sin.
Emily P. Leakey.