God Delivers—Praise His Name!

The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; the God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour. —2 Samuel 22:2, 3, KJV

Not a day goes by without some trouble or care pressing in upon us. Our homes, schools, workplaces, and even our churches are filled with care. It often seems they crowd in around us, over and above us. And they come in many forms: sickness, sorrow, distress, loss, financial woes, and broken relationships. Frequently women are the ones who carry the brunt of the load. As the backbone of the family, wives, mothers, aunties, and grandmothers often become the burden bearers for many, carrying cares for which they do not have answers nor the power to fix. Where do we go for help when the heaviness of this life becomes too much for us to bear? Whom do we turn to for deliverance, not only for ourselves but also for those who depend on us? And sometimes even for those who may not know us but for whom our heart aches. My courage comes from knowing we have an advocate in our Savior, Jesus Christ, whom I like to refer to as our Care Manager. He pleads our case to the heavenly Father. In fact He ever lives to make intercession for us, and as Captain of the heavenly host, He has never lost a battle. He always hears when we call. He always answers our prayers, even when He knows the outcome is not what we hope for or expect. Yes, our God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and when we turn to Him in prayer, He has the power to deliver us.

He is our strong Deliverer, our mighty fortress. But now that we know that—what do we do next? We praise His name! Because of the “multitude of [His] tender mercies” (Psalm 69:16, KJV), we will always have a reason to praise Him. May our heartfelt response be, “I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the Lord. . . . Bless thou the Lord, O my soul. Praise ye the Lord” (Psalm 104:33–35, KJV). Surely, “I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations” (Psalm 89:1).

“Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance” (verse 15, KJV).

Elizabeth Ida Cain