- Delivers
Psalm 34:19
Many are the afflictions of the righteous:
But the Lord delivereth him out of them all.
The conditional promise is: if you are righteous, then the Lord will deliver you out of all your many afflictions. We settled this before: the righteous persons are those who believe in Jesus Christ. Those who do not believe in Christ are not righteous and the promise does not apply to them.
Believers will suffer afflictions, many of them, and this is not news to anyone. What may be news to some people is that God is allowing some of these afflictions to teach, shape, break, mold, file, or to do other things in us of which we have no clue; we don’t know what God is doing, but we know He is doing something useful and good. Some of these afflictions come directly from the enemies, sin, death, and the devil to tempt us into despair, misbelief, complaint, and other great shame and vice, and God is allowing them to test and strengthen us.
Some afflictions are physical injuries and illnesses that come from the Enemy Death. Some afflictions are relational, including harmful marriage relations and destructive relationships with friends and neighbors. Some afflictions are mental or emotional, causing fear, anxiety, stress, depression, obsession, addiction, anger, and other soul-destroying issues. Some afflictions may be financial, where poverty and overburdening debt removes the joy of living. Sometimes the affliction may be spiritual in that unbelief and doubts about God and salvation arise to steal peace.
It would be a good idea to learn from the afflictions what God is teaching. It may be as simple as God getting our attention so that we turn to Him in repentance and faith. “Turn to the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 3:16-17)
The Promise of Deliverance is actually astounding and unbelievable: He says all; “the Lord delivers them out of them all.” “All afflictions” is a bold statement and a brash promise. Does God really mean all? Does He mean the serious problem I am facing now? Does He mean the heavy affliction I am presently undergoing? What can He do? How can He help? Will He really deliver and save me from the bad end of this present affliction? Can God really turn this affliction into something good? The answer to these questions is: Yes! God can and He will “deliver from all.” Pray for deliverance and salvation; then wait for Him to deliver and save. He said He would. Can you believe in such a good God?