Friends in Christ,
I’m a big fan of spirituals. Soon I will be done ‘a’ with da troubles of da world. Been ‘buked, children. Soon and very soon, we are going to see the King. Awesome, inspirational stuff that reminds us of our connection to the Body of Christ across space and time.
One song in particular, though, stays in my toes and my heart as I’m writing this week’s sermon on Daniel and our Hope for Rescue (the first in a 4-part series on Hope for Christmas). Moses Hogan’s arrangement of “Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel?” has spoken to me at a variety of times in my life. Grief, death, joy: if something was going on in which I was uncertain of my future, I turned to this song.
As you might have picked up from the title, the song is about God’s deliverance. One section in particular is moving: “He delivered Daniel from the lion’s den, Jonah from the belly of the whale. And the Hebrew children from the fiery furnace then why not Every man?”
It’s the same sentiment shared in Psalm 116:8-9: “You, God, have delivered me from death, my eyes from tears, and my foot from stumbling, so I’ll walk before the Lord in the land of the living.” The Hebrew children knew of God’s great deliverance from the surrounding evils. This minority tribe could have been crushed at millions of points along their timeline, yet God shielded them from massive empires and, even when God delivered them into the hands of said empires, always brought them back to the promised land.
I wonder what it would look like if we lived life as delivered people? If we could dispel fear and plant the knowledge of deliverance in the hearts of the saints, would we not walk as children of light, beaming with joy? If the Lord is for us, who can be against us? If God is our light and our salvation, the darkness shall not overcome.
If you are feeling overcome with darkness this winter, let’s chat. I am not the light, but I’ll certainly point you to the marvelous light of Christ. In Jesus, we are set free from the bondage of fear.
Thanks be to God,
Eric