Hope In Your Rescue

During a busy and somewhat long week, what a blessing it is to feast on the promises that God so freely gives. One of my favorite radio stations of all time is KLOVE. I listen to this station just about every time I get into my car. One morning on my way to work, one of the daily devotionals that come across the air each morning specifically caught my attention. I would love for you to be encouraged with this truth, as well.


This devotional was centered upon the story of Jonah. Having grown up in Christian family my whole life, I am very much familiar with this story.....perhaps so familiar that when I hear it, I fail to really dig deep into the meaning. Perhaps it is the same with you. However, this devotional shed a whole new light on the account of Jonah's "situation."
Jonah, a man called by God for a specific purpose, a man running from what he had been instructed to do, and a man desperately in need of God's forgiveness mercy......endured a seemingly hopeless situation. From this hopeless situation came: a rescue.
A great storm came at sea....Jonah knew it was because of his disobedience. Jonah told the crew to toss him into the water. I imagine that Jonah realized this act would inevitably be his death sentence. How was he to survive? And as his body crashed into the cold, dark water, I wonder what was resounding through his mind? Perhaps he felt hopeless.....abandoned......fearful. Then, what did our God out of His great mercy and unfailing love do out of this situation? Jonah 1:17 tells us: "But the LORD provided a great fish to swallow Jonah..." For me, that wonderful word "provided" shed a whole new light on this scene. God did not "happen" to command a random fish swimming by to take a mouth-full of human...He did not just decide at that moment on how He would handle Jonah's situation. God in His sovereign plan and divinely sequenced events provided that fish at just the right moment. But, was this the rescue that Jonah may have prayed for? Hmmm...surely not.


Can you imagine....I mean really imagine what it must have been like to be inside the belly of a fish? What must Jonah have thought? I'm sure he was thinking that he would surely never make it out alive...literally. I'm sure it was at this moment that feelings of hopelessness, fear, anxiety and doubt surrounded Jonah. He must have wondered why God would allow such a horrific thing to happen. Perhaps he even felt like God had given up on Him....abandoned him to die. How could God possibly use this situation for his benefit? I don't know about you but in my eyes being swallowed alive by a fish would not feel like a providential, ordained event meant for my own good. But here is the foundational truth that touched my heart in this well-known Biblical account: without this tragic event in Jonah's life, he would have surely drowned.


Isn't that so neat to think about? What seemed like a horrible, hopeless, and desperate situation was a providential, all-powerful, God-ordained rescue. What situation in your life do you feel as if no good could possibly result? Perhaps it is the loss of a loved one, the failing of a marriage, the loss of a job, the pangs of loneliness, the pain of illness and disease, the fear that paralyzes in the night, rejection from those dear to our hearts, the death of a dream, the failing of life plans......why are these instances sometimes allowed within our lives. Have you ever thought that God has used this unpleasant, undesirable situation in our lives to bring about a magnificant and holy rescue? We, as believers, have the promise which is found in Romans 8:28: "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them." I know that I am truly thankful for that promise.


This caused me to think of other accounts in Scripture where out of hopeless situations came a divine rescue by God. I thought of the story of Moses. Moses' mother carried this precious little boy in her womb for nine months, only to find out after he was born that he would be sentenced to death by the Egyptians. What a hopeless situation. In her attempts to save her son, she in essence abandoned this precious little one. She secured him within a basket and sent him down the river, a task that would literally break a mother's heart. Little did she know that her attempts to rescue her son would eventually result in God providing for her own rescue through her son....as well as a rescue of her people. Praise Jesus.


I desire that you and I truly be encouraged tonight. Will we always understand the reason for great trials and suffering? Absolutely not. Can we trust God with each situation that comes our way both now and in the future, knowing that it exists and persists for our own good? Praise God, yes we can! Oh, how our Father is forever faithful. We can truly trust Him. How thankful we should be that He indeed rescues His children. How thankful we should be that He has divinely orchestrated each moment of our lives and that He has already provided for our rescue. That blesses my heart so much. I must admit that I do struggle with the fear of an unknown future. I struggle with the act of trusting God with these things of which I cannot see. It is a daily surrender and choice to walk by faith and fall into the arms of my Father, trusting His perfect and holy will.


Tonight I leave you with two portions of God's holy Word. May you cease from viewing the difficult situations in life as dreaded, painful, and fear-stricken moments. As you walk in the will of God, may you see each moment as divinely sequenced by your Creator. For He is the only One Who knows exactly what you need. And just as He divinely "provided" for Jonah's rescue, so He will provide for yours, as well. May these words of God provide you with hope for today....hope for your journey.

"The LORD Almighty has sworn this oath:'It will all happen

as I have planned. It will come about according to my purposes. I have

a plan for the whole earth, for My mighty power reaches throughout the world.

The Lord Almighty has spoken--who can change His plans?

When His hand moves, who can stop Him?'"

Isaiah 14:24, 26-27

"Oh, what a wonderful God we have! How great are his riches

and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand

His decisions and His methods!
For who can know what the Lord is thinking?

Who knows enough to be His counselor?

For everything comes from Him; everything exists

by His power and is intended for His glory. To him be glory evermore. Amen."

Romans 11: 33-34, 36

Hannah Grace