Some years ago I preached a sermon series from the book of Exodus titled, “Deliverance”. I find in the Exodus story a metaphor for the way God delivers us from every evil that Satan uses to entrap us. Pastor and author Jill Briscoe illustrates this in a wonderful story from her family:
“Not too long ago I was babysitting one of our three, 3-year-old grandchildren. In our family, we had twins and a single birth all within 24 hours. We call them Search, Destroy, and Demolition. I was to baby-sit Demolition. As I waved goodbye to his parents, he looked perfectly all right. We had a little story out of his favorite book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. I put him to bed and went to sleep.
“In the middle of the night, I felt a little hand, and I turned on the light. I looked at Drew: chicken pox from the top of his head to the soles of his feet. ‘Nana,’ he said, ‘Me’s having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Why should some things like this happen to I?’
“I thought how like Drew we all are. Why should something like this happen to me? We cannot believe it. As Miss Piggy says, ‘Moi? Not moi!!’ We cannot believe that God would allow something to happen to such nice people like us.
“I gave Drew a bath in porridge–oatmeal. It’s a wonderful remedy. It takes away the itch. He swam around in this porridge bath, and then I took him out and wrapped his bumpy, little body in a great, big white towel. As I held him against my heart, he just kept saying, ‘Hold me, Nana. Hold me, Nana. Hold me, Nana.’ I thought of Job as I held my little Job to my heart.”
From time to time we all have a “terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.” But the author of Exodus tells us that we, like the Israelite nation, have a Deliverer — One who will wrap us in His arms and hold us close to His heart.
Whatever trial you are facing, you can be assured that He will hold you and deliver you. He is mighty to save!
With Love,
Mike
