Rescue 911 by Denise Badger

I finally was going to learn how to surf! Pacific Beach, California, my friend Esmeralda and I took her boards down the cliff to the ocean, stopping in the sand just a few yards from the water. Surf board, check. Wax, check. Cool surf shirt, check. We were ready to go!

After five lengthy minutes of instruction, Esmeralda deemed me knowledgeable in the art of surfing and off she went, confident that, with a little time and space, I would soon master the skills necessary for surfing... or at least survival.

After figuring out which end was right side up, and several mouthfuls of saltwater later, I managed to get to where the waves were to be caught (whatever that meant!). Flipping, slipping, sliding, somersaulting, and face-planting moments later I found myself suddenly swept away on a wave! I was riding a wave... a real wave, and on top this time! The wind was whipping my hair back, the board was cutting the water and the speed was accelerating by the second... it was incredible! With all fours on the board, I felt like a real pro! And then I opened my eyes, and suddenly the thrill turned to chills. First thing I realized was that there were no other surfers, and then, as I looked at my soon-to-be destination, I realized why. I was headed straight for the rocks-a group of ominous, dagger-looking, bully rocks that had a reputation for eating surfers alive if they dared come near. Panic set in as I careened helplessly towards a lot of pain. I needed to be rescued!

Ever been there? Ever needed to be rescued...saved from disaster, or pain, from others, or from yourself? There are so many predicaments in which we find ourselves-overwhelming temptations, family dramas, relationship issues, work struggles, school challenges... and we don't know what to do. We feel helpless, hopeless, trapped, in trouble with no way out. We're about to hit the rocks at tremendous speed, and we need to be rescued, now!

Enter Psalms 18... enter God. "The Lord is my deliverer... I call to the Lord... and am saved from my enemies... In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice... He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters...he rescued me because he delighted in me..."

This is the kind of God we have on our side. When we're in trouble, God rescues us. It doesn't matter how many times we've done it, or how awful we are, when we call on God, he will respond. God is the one who throws us the life jacket, the life-line, to get us out, or around, or through the temptation, or struggle, through whatever situation that has us in need of help. Psalms 18 makes it clear that, not only does he deliver us, but he rescues us from our entanglements and set us in a "spacious place" with him... why? Because he delights in us! Now that is indeed a God most worthy of praise!

ENCOUNTER:

1. Recall a time when God "saved" you in the past... when you were rescued, helped through a hard time. Thank him again for that right now... for being a God who rescues because he delights in you.

2. From what in your life are you needing deliverance today... from what or who do you need to be rescued? Picture that situation, that foe, that place of swirling water and rocks in your life and then read Psalms 18.

Be Present: Rejoice by Robert Dickerson

Adversity, and perseverance and all these things can shape you. They can give you a value and a self-esteem that is priceless. --Scott Hamilton

Rejoice in all things, big and small, good times and times when circumstances don't go as planned. Rejoice when your efforts pay off and rejoice when unexpected blessings come into the life of others. You're part of a much bigger plan in action, we don't always get to see what's coming up, but in everything we need to remember that GOD’s working behind the scenes and so in every event that happens to us, our family, friends, or fellow believers is an opportunity to shower GOD with praises.  He is in our midst . . . always.

Encounter the Word:

What I'm getting at, friends, is that you should simply keep on doing what you've done from the beginning. When I was living among you, you lived in responsive obedience. Now that I'm separated from you, keep it up. Better yet, redouble your efforts. Be energetic in your life of salvation, reverent and sensitive before God. That energy is God's energy, an energy deep within you, God himself willing and working at what will give him the most pleasure.

Do everything readily and cheerfully—no bickering, no second-guessing allowed! Go out into the world uncorrupted, a breath of fresh air in this squalid and polluted society. Provide people with a glimpse of good living and of the living God. Carry the light-giving Message into the night so I'll have good cause to be proud of you on the day that Christ returns. You'll be living proof that I didn't go to all this work for nothing.  –Philippians 2:12-16 [Message]

Paul, locked up in prison, didn't know if he would survive and be released. He took the opportunity presented him and preached GOD’s message to everyone in the prison he could and praised GOD for the chance presented him. If those had been his last days, he chose to praise GOD because he knew the gospel he'd spread had reached the right people who would continue GOD’s work. If he were to be released, he knew that there were going to be more chances in his future to share GOD’s grace with more people who desperately needed it.

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth.”

The Lord Almighty is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress.  --Psalm 46:10-11 [NIV]

It's easy to try and stay focused on the big things, but by doing so we miss so many little things around us that GOD has had His hand in. So many lives that have been touched and all of the possibilities presented to us. Find a still and quiet moment and look back on the last week or last few days. It could be as simple as turning off the radio on the way to work and just listening to GOD as He shows you how He was involved in your life or the life of someone else. Remember to praise GOD for everything in your life because each event, each person you've come across, each story you've heard is an opportunity for growth in Christ.

Encounter Prayer:

Heavenly Father, help me to -- Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not put out the Spirit’s fire. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject whatever is harmful.

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it. Amen. –1Thessalonians 5:16-24 [TNIV]

Encounter:

• What do I need to turn off today, so I can listen more intently to GOD?
• What are five things I can praise GOD for this week?
• Who in my life can I offer encouragement to someone to persevere?

Devotional by Robert Dickerson.  Posted by A. Allan Martin by permission.