God Sees, Hears, and Delivers
Sometimes I wish I knew how many afflictions are left. Then I come to my senses and remember that in God’s wisdom, he has not given us the ability to know all that is ahead of us. And while it is good to give the Lord praise and glory for every time he has rescued us in the past, the truth is we don’t really know how many times he rescued us because we probably never knew how many times we needed rescued! Our view of our afflictions and our burdens sometimes feels like a lot. I will not debate that it sometimes is a lot. But we simply don’t know how much we have been shielded from at any given moment.
What we do know is that all throughout scripture we read of the many times that God’s servants were in crisis, and when they cried out to the Lord, God heard their cries and rescued them. In Psalm 34, David said this:
“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.”
What a promise! It doesn’t matter if it is one affliction or 1,001 or more, God is our deliverer, and when we call out to him, he responds. Earlier in this psalm David gives us reminders of God’s activities that we often forget. The first is that “the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous.” God turns his eyes toward his beloved. When we surrender to the Lord and place our full trust in Jesus, God sees our obedience and always has his eyes looking in our direction. What a comfort to know that God sees us in our struggles, even before we realize how big our problems are.
The second thing that David tells us is that “his ears are toward our cry.” God is listening, and he always hears us when we cry out to him. He is not distracted, asleep, or unable to hear our cries for his help and his mercy. God hears us whenever we call out to him.
The third thing David tells us is that “the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” We may sometimes wonder why God allows those who do evil to get away with their behavior. The truth is that he doesn’t. It may appear that way from our view, but again we do not see the whole picture. David said that God’s justice means that he will “cut off the memory of them (evil doers) from the face of the earth.” They may be known today, but they will ultimately be forgotten forever.
The fourth promise David reminds us of is “the Lord is near the brokenhearted.” We do live in a fallen world and the result of mankind’s sin is that there are bad things that happen. But when they happen, we are assured that the Lord moves ever closer to those who are in pain and grief. The events of the tragic crash of Flight 5342 and the military helicopter means that hundreds and thousands of family members and friends, even our whole nation, is grieving with those who suffered such incredible loss.
One way God moves near the brokenhearted is through us. As we continue to pray for all those who are grieving, God is surrounding them with his presence. We may not see all the ways, but you and I are a part of how God brings comfort to those in grief. Let us always move toward the grieving in the name of the Lord with comfort. God not only moves near the brokenhearted; his word says he “saves the crushed in spirit.” God doesn’t go halfway. He moves to save us in our pain.
Finally, I think the apostle Paul’s words give us another reminder of how God is always working. The Holy Spirit is always interceding on our behalf. I don’t think any of us know exactly how all of this works, but I believe what David wrote in Psalms and what Paul wrote in Romans may work together.
It might be that since God is always watching and listening, that when God hears our cry for help he moves near to us through his Holy Spirit who knows our weaknesses. The Holy Spirit intercedes for us with groanings of deep compassion before God. And if you recall the rest of Paul’s words in Romans, God searches hearts and knows what the mind of the spirit is and intercedes for us according to the will of God.
I don’t know how many afflictions you’ve had nor how many are yet to come as we move toward God as his kingdom people. What I do know is that every time we experience affliction, God sees us, hears us, and moves toward us by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Thank you, God, for your precious and powerful word that is living and active. Thank you for always looking, listening, and responding on our behalf. Thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit who knows how to take our needs directly to you. And thank you for your promises that tell us you will never abandon or forsake us. You are truly a gracious and awesome God. We thank you and praise you in the name of Jesus, amen.
Your Time with God’s Word
Psalm 34:15-22; Romans 8:26-27 ESV
To receive daily posts delivered directly to your inbox, complete the form at the bottom of our home page.
