Deliverance Within

The righteous cry, and the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all. Psalm 34:17-19 NASB

There is not a person reading this that cannot attest to experiencing troubles, a broken heart, a crushed spirit, and afflictions. Without even hearing the stories, Jesus’ own words tell me it is true. He said that in this world we would have trouble but Psalm 34 wraps that truth in hope. As long as we live in this world we will experience pain, loss, disappointment, sickness, distress…..TROUBLE! It is those outward circumstances that so drastically affect our internal world. The effects of trouble in health, finances, relationships, circumstances, etc… can be huge. Whether the trouble is temporary or long term we are promised deliverance. Whether or not the outward deliverance is near, there is an internal deliverance we can experience instantaneously.

There are times in life when we can grieve a loss and be done with it. We can get through a storm and move on. We can live through a difficulty and learn from it. But I want to address the times we seem to be stuck in a capsule of pain that leaves us with a persistent sense of sadness, ache, and hopelessness. We come to the place where the worst part is no longer the trouble but the pain it is bringing about. I was in that place and can attest to God’s deliverance. For me it came in stages but it was well worth it.

In the midst of what seemed like an ongoing battle of emotions, God purposefully removed ALL the human support I would naturally turn to. I could not email anyone, call anyone, or talk to anyone. The words were not there. I couldn’t seem to voice to anyone what was tearing me up on the inside. Books were not helping, music was not helping. It seemed that every prop was gone. That is when I finally cried out to God and said, “What is wrong with me?!” His answer was simply, “Come to Me. Talk to Me.” And I did. It was in honesty and openness with my Creator, Redeemer, and Healer that I was freed from the sadness that had taken hold of me for far too long. NOTHING changed as far as what brought the sadness on. What changed was that it no longer had the effect on me. That which had a hold of me has lost its grip and I walk in welcome freedom!

His intent is that I learn to rely upon Him more and more. What I am finding is that the more I turn to Him, confide in Him, and embrace Him the more lasting and profound the changes are!

Father, I stand in awe and appreciation for what You have done. I am changed! I am free! I am Yours! Amen.