The Miracle of Being Rescued

"And call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me" (Psalm 50:15)

Fire trucks everywhere with an EMS rescue vehicle thrown in for good measure! That is what I saw late one night this past week, beloved, when the sound of many sirens on our usually quiet street brought me as well as other neighbors into our front yards. Two doors down from our home my neighbors had detected a burning odor somewhere in their ceiling and, unable to find it, had called 911. Local rescue companies responded in grand fashion! I counted at least ten fire trucks from various neighborhood companies along with the one EMS team. Fortunately, no fire was discovered so the rescue vehicles quickly dispersed and returned to their "alert" posture. I was so gratified to know that merely dialing 911 in an emergency situation brings such a response! In fact, while standing and talking with other neighbors during this recent episode, one commented to me that the scene before us caused him to want to more faithfully support rescue's fund raising efforts with his own monetary donation. It seems that I was not the only one who appreciated the wonderful service we were seeing!

Were you aware, beloved, that God has an emergency response system of His own to which you and I may appeal? The psalmist urges us to call out to Him "in the day of trouble" and that, when we do so, He will "rescue" us. How often in each of our lives have we as Christians known the saving hand of God? How many times can we look back and recall those times when God's presence in difficult times came alongside and comforted us, guided us and strengthened us? What a blessing to know that when we "call," He is there!

But what about those times when there is no emergency? Is God just "on alert" somewhere in our lives until the next time that we may need Him? Far from it! The psalmist here went on to say that, once rescued by His gracious hand, He will expect us to "honor" Him. In fact, if you return with me to the verse just preceding this one, here is what we find:

"Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High" (Psalm 50:14)

The psalmist spoke of those whose very lives fulfill promises made and covenants established. That is what is meant by "pay your vows," beloved. As Christians we are those who have dedicated ourselves to follow Jesus Christ, to be true to God's Word every moment of every day. God is not a "stand by" being, One who sits quietly on the sidelines until an emergency arises and we need Him again! He is or should be at the very center of our living, the One for whom we exist, whose glory is our mantle and whose goal is our mission. Talk about making a "donation" to our rescue system! Ours should be one of a life wholly committed to Jesus Christ.

The miracle of being rescued is just one aspect of God's involvement in our lives, beloved. When we need it, He is there. But He is also there when all is well and the road ahead of us is smooth. What is He to us then? Don't let God just be your "911" emergency system! He wants to be so much more. He deserves the "honor" of your living moment by moment, day by day. You can count on Him, beloved. Can He count on you?

Ron