Deliverance (Part 1)

My breath started to grow short, and I felt panic rising in my chest. While my parents were taking a nap on a warm Sunday afternoon, I was playing dress-up in my bedroom. The jacket I’d shoved my arms into had fit just fine the year before, but now I had obviously outgrown it. I’d become thoroughly, completely stuck, and—to a five-year-old—this problem seemed insurmountable. “What would I do?”

Thankfully, my dad finished his nap just about that time. He opened the door to discover me struggling to free myself from the confining jacket. But he didn’t leave me on my own to find a way out. Daddy stepped into the room and reassured me, then gently tugged the coat from my shoulders. Finally, I could breathe easily. I could not have extricated myself from that scary situation without Daddy’s help.

When we put our trust in Jesus, we begin a relationship with God as His children. We get to experience the care and tenderness of the best Daddy. We’re never required—or expected—to face problems alone, because He remains with us always, guiding us over the hurdles and through the challenges. Once we’ve entered that loving relationship with God the Father, we continue to grow in Christ, but sometimes, we start believing the lie that we should learn to manage our issues on our own. “Isn’t that what growing up means?†we may wonder. “Learning to figure out how to solve my own problems?â€

But God never intends for us to navigate messes, mishaps, or mistakes in our own strength or knowledge. As His children, we have an open invitation to come to Him and call on Him, drawing close with our tears, our fears, and everything in between. And, like any loving Daddy, He is eager to help us when we do. • Allison Wilson Lee

• What problems feel overwhelming in your life at this moment? Do you feel like you can talk to God about these? Why or why not?

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16 (NIV)

Read Verses:

Isa.43.1-Isa.43.19