John 3:16(ESV) is probably one of the most recited verses in the Bible, and it should be because it speaks of God’s unconditional and limitless love for us all. It says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” We live in a world where we are constantly bombarded with information, and much of it isn’t true and isn’t healthy for our minds, hearts, and souls. Many people believe what they hear without going to God’s Word to know Him for themselves. They trust the wrong sources and believe the wrong information. Because of this, they think that God is in heaven waiting to punish people that do not obey Him. This isn’t who God is. He gave His Son, Jesus Christ, so that we would not perish, be ruined, and suffer violent death. Jesus Christ teaches us in John 10:10 that God wants us to live abundantly. He wants us to follow the example of Christ and trust Him with our whole hearts so that He can preserve, protect, and bless us with long lives upon this earth.
In the Old Testament, God’s people agreed to the covenant He made with them. They committed themselves to follow and keep His laws and commandments because doing so would cause them to remain in His arms of safety. He told them that if they remained faithful, their enemies would be His enemies, and their adversaries would be His adversaries (Exodus 23:22). However, they did not hold up their end of this covenant and often vacillated. They committed idolatry, and worshiped other gods, which is a great offense to our Heavenly Father. The consequences of their betrayal and sinful actions would land them in hot water. In a nutshell, their sinful actions moved them from God’s territory of His goodness and blessings to satan’s territory of death and darkness.
After they rebelled against God and faced the terrible consequences of those choices, He wanted them to humble themselves and return to Him. For those that did, He said in Zephaniah 3:17(NLT), “For the LORD your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.” This is truly the heart of God. He delights in us and wants us to come back to Him with a heart of repentance, showing Him that we understand His sovereignty and goodness, and that we are willing to honor Him and His love. It’s evident in our modern times that most people are not demonstrating this level of respect for God. Even so, He never stops loving them, and He is always willing to help any of us who ask earnestly.
Rescue from a broken heart
Sometimes, we face devastating circumstances in life, like heartbreak, because we haven’t opened the door to God and allowed Him the leadership and influence that He rightly deserves. Jesus Christ talks about this kind of attitude in Revelation 2:4(NKJV). Our Master Jesus said to the church in Ephesus, “Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.” This revelation is applicable and relevant to many in the body of Christ today. God is our first love, but sometimes we behave as if we have forgotten this. Jesus Christ tells us in Matthew 6:33(NLT), “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” We are to take every decision and choice before our Heavenly Father, and this should be our first course of action, but for many of us, it isn’t.
We get into relationships without the benefit of God’s counsel and approval, and sometimes this is because we think we don’t need it, but oh how untrue that is. We desperately need to hear from God, and when we don’t, sometimes heartbreak is the outcome. Our relationship mistakes can be devastating to our lives, but God wants us to know that He is with us. He will rescue us from a broken heart, and He wants us to learn to lean on Him for guidance and direction in this area of our lives. Psalm 147:3 says, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” And Psalm 34:18(ESV) tells us, “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”
A sad spirit
Life is filled with exuberant highs and devastating lows. Financial and health challenges can weigh us down and make us question our purpose for existing. The truth is that every individual has a purpose in God’s Will and Plan, and He desires that we live abundantly. God doesn’t want us to be sad and feel down about ourselves. He wants us to have good mental, spiritual, physical, and emotional health. He wants us to have fulfilling relationships and work, a good spouse, and finances to support our well-being; with plenty leftover to be a blessing to others. This is His Will for every individual, but we know that many of us are not at a place where these blessings have manifested in our lives. Even so, it is important for us to recognize that although we may not have these blessings, through Jesus Christ, God has made them available to us.
Many of us think that God cannot relate to the complexities and severity of some of the issues that we face in our modern times, but He can. When Jesus Christ walked the earth, he dealt with situations and issues that we all deal with. Hebrews 4:15(NLT) tells us, “We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.” We must trust that not only does our Heavenly Father understand our pain and sadness, He is always willing and able to help us. Psalm 18:2 tells us that He is our Rock and Deliverer, and we can take refuge in Him because He will never let us down.
A terrible situation
The encouragement of Psalm 62:8(NLT) gives us a strategy for living life to the fullest. It says, “Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.” Abuse, addiction, emotional issues and distress, and other social problems can ravage our lives. They overwhelm us, but we must know that no matter the problem, 1Peter 5:7 tells us to cast all our anxieties and cares on God, because He cares for us. He never intended that we should go through problems alone. He wants us to lean totally and completely on Him.
There is no situation too terrible or problem too big for God. He can solve them all! Jesus Christ invites us in Matthew 11:28-30(NLT), “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” We must trust that God is our refuge. He’s our safe place, and He will rescue us from any tribulation or troubling situation. So, let’s make prayer and humility before our Heavenly Father a habit pattern. He promises to help us, and He will always meet us wherever we are and comfort our hearts as we have faith in His love, power, and strength.■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“God Is Our Rescue”, written for 4theChristianMan.com© 2023. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.