Have you ever gone through a time of such great uncertainty you were paralyzed by fear? Did you ever fear the unknown so much you felt like you couldn’t control your thoughts or reality in front of you? Have you ever been so down, discouraged, beat up, tossed aside or condemned to the point of wanting to run and hide?

I have not necessarily felt these things to this extreme before, but a few people dear to me have more recently. Today I reflect not on the negative feelings, fear, or even rejection, but on the glorious deliverance and grace of God. Throughout this magnificently tough time for friends of mine (and no I will not be going into details) they have been steadfast in their prayers, reaching to God and friends for support, faith and hope. After almost two years of struggle the Lord saw fit to deliver them from the dark clouds of suffering and sorrow that hung over them. He saw fit to remove them and place them in His light. After watching their conduct and walking through some times in the shadows with them God has reminded me He is worthy of our praise.

When we have moments of paralysis, fear, chaos or total discouragement many of us pray. We pray a lot. We repeat our prayers. We beg. We promise God all kinds of stuff if He’ll deliver, see us, bless us, save us. I think of Jephthah in the book of Judges. He was rejected by his family, marginalized, and forgotten. The Israelites were suffering for their own sin and begged God and Jephthah to save them. Jephthah was a good fighter and eventually agreed. When the time came for him to fight the Ammonites he was afraid. There was doubt. He promised to God, “If you give the Ammonites into my hands, whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the Lord’s and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering.” (Judges 11:30-31) He was afraid, prayed, promised and…

“When Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah, who should come out to meet him but his daughter, dancing to the sound of tambourines! She was an only child. Except for her he had neither son nor daughter. When he saw her, he tore his clothes and cried, ‘Oh! My daughter! You have made me miserable and wretched, because I have made a vow to the Lord that I cannot break.’” -Judges 11:34-35

…was faithful in his follow through. Read on and you’ll see Jephthah kept his promise to God and his daughter even understood. He and his family believed God was worthy of such a sacrifice.

As I watched my friends go through their “valley of the shadow of death” we were afraid at times. We prayed a lot. We promised to give God the glory asking Him to be merciful. He was and so we must keep our end of the deal, as He is worthy of such sacrifice.

This morning the Lord filled my heart with such joy over His faithfulness, mercy and my friends’ deliverance I could not help but sing. Scripture has never been so real, alive and true to me.

“To you, O Lord, I called; to the Lord I cried for mercy; What gain is there in my destruction, in my going down into the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your faithfulness? Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me; O Lord, be my help. You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever.” -Psalm 30:8-12

If you can relate to God’s deliverance for you in a dark circumstance that surrounds you, then keep on giving thanks forever. Don’t forget His mercy. If you cannot relate to worldly circumstances that weigh heavy on your shoulders then know that does not exclude you from experiencing God's goodness in a very real way:

“But God demonstrates His own love for us in this; While we were still sinners Christ died for us. Since we have been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through Him! For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” –Romans 5:8-11

This morning I cannot help but rejoice. I praise God for His faithfulness and deliverance for my friends. We called on Him; He heard our prayers and answered us by His grace. This morning I thank God for reconciling me to Him for eternity. The core of me is not good. I have no hope in being a loving person without God’s forgiveness and grace in my life. Today I remember God not only delivered His children from worldly circumstances, but also from their spiritual destiny, which is total separation from God in hell. PRAISE GOD!

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;

There is no shadow of turning with Thee;

Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;

As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.

Refrain:

Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!

Morning by morning new mercies I see.

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;

Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,

Sun, moon and stars in their courses above

Join with all nature in manifold witness

To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Refrain

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth

Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;

Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,

Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

I pray these lyrics mean something to you if they don't already…