Deliverance Is Not A One Time Thing

“The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad. Turn again our captivity, O LORD, as the streams in the south.” (Ps 126:3-4 AV)

This psalm is especially meaningful to me.  A bit about that later.  The psalm is a reflection of God’s great deliverance.  Listen to verse one.   “When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.” (Ps 126:1 AV)  This is the tenor of the whole psalm.  It reflects a time when Jerusalem was under some sort of trouble and God miraculously delivered God’s people.  It was such a fantastic deliverance, it was as though the citizens of the capital city were dreaming a dream.  There are several times recorded in the scriptures where this happened.  But I cannot think of a better example than the siege of the Assyrians.  There was a deep famine in the city that was so bad, two women had conspired to eat their own children.  It was so bad, they were eating the poop of their animals.  In one night, the LORD delivered the city from this siege and replenished everyone’s pantry.  That would certainly feel like a dream.  What struck me this morning is the request of verse four.  After celebrating God’s miraculous deliverance, the writer asks the LORD to deliver again.  This can only suggest that once God delivers, it does not end all potential trouble.  His deliverance must come again.

Before I relate my example, let me just say that ministries are not perfect.  There are issues no matter where the LORD would have you to serve.  You are imperfect and so are the people to whom you minister.  Those issues involved can be rather severe.  Such has been the case in most churches that I have served.  One, in particular, seems to have had that impact of being a situation from which I needed deliverance.  This ministry was the financial ruin of me and my family.  I was caught in the middle of a feud between staff members.  When the whole thing began to collapse, I was left holding the bag.  And, it was a mess not of my own making.  I had begun to find a way of escape shortly after I arrived.  Yet nine years later, the LORD still had me there.  If something did not happen, I was headed for the streets.  I began to pray regarding the future.  It looked hopeless.  However, the LORD had a different plan.  He supplied a new ministry and we walked away completely debt-free and starting fresh all over again.  I remember verse one of this psalm because when I read it, that is exactly how I felt.  I was living the dream.  However, the LORD brought me back to reality and almost a decade later, He sent me somewhere else. 

The point is, God’s deliverance is not a one-time event.  There are many trials and troubles from which we need deliverance.  It could be a time of persecution.  It could be a time of financial difficulty.  It could be a health issue.  It could be a spiritual challenge set before us.  It could be a challenge to overcome the old man that we are stuck with.  Currently, I am asking the LORD to make me a better soul-winner.  I know what I need to do, but I also know I need deliverance from myself.  The old man is getting in the way every time.  As I get older, this old body is beginning to show its age.  I am on the track of becoming one of those older people who have doctor’s appointments almost weekly.  There will be many trials and troubles ahead.  From which, I will need deliverance.  We must temper our celebration of current deliverance and living the dream with the reality this dream is short-lived.  There will be another situation from which the LORD must deliver.  Then we get to dream again!  Praise the LORD for His faithful deliverance each and every time we need it.