CHRISTIAN LIFE AND CHALLENGES

The Need for Divine Intervention

BIBLE TEXT: PSALM 120:1-2

1. In my distress I cried unto the LORD, and he heard me.
2. Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue.

These days within certain theological circles it is a declaration of war to mention the word DELIVERANCE yet people need deliverance from time to time of one kind or the other.

The problem cited above arises out of religious semantics. In fact, with mentioning the word deliverance, in religious is that the word has been given special religious meaning apart from its dictionary definition.

So each and every time you mention the word deliverance, you are likely to cause or stir a robust debate over deliverance. For some, deliverance is no longer needed because they believe Christ has redeemed them from the curse of the law. In this theology deliverance is viewed as REDEMPTION.

REDEMPTION suggest total deliverance from sin and death in terms of salvation. So deliverance in this context mean nothing but salvation. When they argue they argue that one does not need to be saved again because salvation is done once and for all which is true.

In other contexts of religion Deliverance is seen as rescue from any situation and condition that hinders your welfare and progress though you are saved, which is true again.

Some believer that casting out devils, healing the sick, and praying for people to come out of difficulty spiritual, social, economic or any other limiting condition or  circumstances is deliverance which is also true.

The Psalmist cried out unto the LORD and asked the LORD to DELIVER him. Here the Psalmist crying for deliverance was David.

The covenant history  of Israel showed that Israel  was a delivered nation that belonged to God. So what nature or manner of deliverance David needed from God at that time?

David spelt out his need for deliverance and God heard him. According to Psalm 120 David desired that God would deliver him from lying tongues (120:2).

Psalm 120 (KJV)

1. In my distress I cried unto the LORD, and he heard me.

2. Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue.

David felt he needed divine intervention to overcome the falsity of lying tongues against him. This example serves to clarify the many situations out there that may need divine intervention in specific areas of need.

Challenges and needs that need divine intervention are still there even though we are saved.

The practice of prayer and intercessions among Christian believers testifies to that need. In the early church the believers prayed that Peter be DELIVERED from a jail situation that was meant to terminate his life as was done to James.

Acts 12 (KJV)

5. Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.

11. And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath DELIVERED me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews.

The word INTERCESSION is also another word that can provoke theological war.  Some theologians are of the view there Christ is the only intercessors therefore there is no need for intercession, It is true that Christ intercedes for us before God.

Rom 8:34  Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh INTERCESSION for us.

Nevertheless it is also true that believers can pray for one another and for others and that is intercession.

1Ti 2:1  I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, INTERCESSIONS, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;

In the case of DILIVERANCE the history of Israel is replete with various kinds of DELIVERANCES apart from being DELIVERED once and for all from the bondage and slavery in Egypt. They experienced various deliverances in various settings that needed divine intervention:

#1. Deliverance from danger, distress, enemies, Egyptian slavery (Exodus 14:13; 15:2)

#2. Deliverance from Babylonian exile (Isaiah 46:13; 52:10-11)

#3. Deliverance from adversaries (Psalms 106:10)

#4. Deliverance from defeat (Deuteronomy 20:4)

#5. Deliverance from oppression (Judges 3:31)

#6. Deliverance from social decay (Hosea 1:7)

All these, to mention but a few Biblical cases, were forms of deliverances apart from the Exodus Passover Redemption.

If we operate from a Biblical perspective of things we will have no problem with people using the word DELIVERANCE either to mean SAVED from sin and death (salvation) or SET FREE ( helped out) from a spiritual or physical condition, situation, or circumstances through prayers of the saints as was in the case of Peter (Acts 12:2-11).

There is NO NEED for building a religion out of the word deliverance such that when you hear people talk of DELIVERANCE in one sense or the other you fight tooth and nail to defend your theological position. It is a word that can be freely used to mean salvation of soul or healing of the body or rescue from a situation.

Just get to understand from what point of view is the word deliverance is used before you make unnecessary arguments to defend your religious views on deliverance.

The Biblical view on deliverance is very clear. Simply put it is just a need for divine intervention in a given situation or condition. Theologians and preachers should help believers look at deliverance from a Biblical view since the Bible is very clear on the subject of deliverance.

As worshipers we also face challenges in one way or the other that we often feel we need God's help to overcome as the Psalmist did.

Psalm 120 (KJV)
1. In my distress I cried unto the LORD, and he heard me.


CHRISTIAN LIFE AND CHALLENGES
The Need for Divine Intervention

BIBLE TEXT: PSALM 120:1-2
Opinion/teaching