"I will save you from the hands of the wicked and deliver you from the grasp of the cruel.” (Jeremiah 15:21)
This verse carries a lot of significance for me, because I know what it is like to be saved from the wicked and the cruel. Long story short, I refused to attend a church on an island in the Pacific which did not teach the true gospel of Christ. Would it have been easy to compromise my faith in order to fit in with the community? Of course, but you should go to a church because it teaches the truth, not because you want to be part of the crowd. As a result of my choice, my reputation was sabotaged, my job was put into jeopardy, and eventually, my life was threatened. Nonetheless, Jesus saved me, ensuring that I was safely evacuated from the island in one piece. Even before that, he raised up allies from the most unlikely places to help me out when I needed it. Two of them are my good friends Richard and Emily, whom I am still in contact with. I was also helped by my friends Shrew, Heinson, Songro, and Timothy, although we have since fallen out of touch. Instead of winding up unjustly fired or worse, dead, I am alive and well, and it is all thanks to Jesus.
I want to make it clear that, sometimes, God allows Satan to have his way with people's lives. Even His servants are not immune from being attacked, raped, or killed in this world. Why does He deliver some people from an evil fate and not others? That is a question to be answered in another post. For now, I will just be thankful that, ultimately, we can all be delivered from the evils of this world through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. If you are saved, no matter what happens to you in this world, you are guaranteed eternal life with God in heaven forever. That, my friend, is the ultimate deliverance.
