Excerpt

God’s Rescue Plan—To be Delivered, You have to Let Go
One Sunday morning, as I was getting ready for church, I felt discouraged and bone weary. Belle, our three-year-old bichon frise, looked up at me with heartfelt empathy, as if to say, “If you’re going down, I’m coming with you.” That’s how I felt that morning. Many things in my life were going very well, but there were a few areas where I felt very hopeless.

As I looked at my reflection in the mirror, I heard God speak four words to me:

I will deliver you!

I didn’t hear an audible voice, but in my spirit God’s voice was unmistakable. I was startled by the clarity of the message.

This is not a common occurrence for me. I often hear God speak through the Bible, through my pastor or friends, or through the beauty of nature. But very rarely have I heard His voice so commanding, clear, and deeply personal: I will deliver you!

It seemed as if my bathroom floor had become holy ground. I knew deep down exactly what situation God was assuring me that He would deliver me from. To pretend any longer that the issue that had been weighing on my heart and soul like a frozen winter lake was under control was stretching even Belle’s blind devotion, never mind the almighty, all-knowing God of the universe.

I thought, How will God deliver me from this? My question revealed a lot about my attitude to being rescued. I am more comfortable with a straightforward scenario—I have a problem, God rescues me, and we all move on with life. But God wants much more for us. God wants to extend us a freedom that goes far beyond a one-time intervention; He wants to us to experience a lifestyle of liberty.

My question was answered quickly and clearly, as God’s words came ringing back to me: I will deliver you!

As I heard God’s strong and loving voice again, I knew that the “how” had nothing to do with me. Not only that, but the “how” was ridiculous in light of the “Who.”

All God was asking me to do was receive His promise and trust Him. Nothing more.

I prayed a very simple prayer in response: “Father, thank you. I believe you, I trust you, and I will try to rest in your promise. I have no idea what my deliverance will look like or when it will come, but you do and that’s all I need to know. Please give me your grace on the days when I will find it hard to trust and look for more. Help me to let go when I want to try to fix things that only you can fix.”

What Does It Mean to Be Delivered?
That morning at church, “coincidentally,” our pastor taught from the apostle Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi:

I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ....And in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice....For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:12–13, 18, 19)

As I reflected on that passage during the next few days, my mind was flooded with questions:

• How did Paul know his present circumstances would work out for his deliverance?
• What does it mean to be delivered?
• Does deliverance always involve a change of circumstances, or do the circumstances sometimes remain the same while God changes us?
• Is there a biblical timeframe for how and when deliverance takes place?
• Does God always deliver His children? If not, why not?
• Does every believer need to be delivered?

I knew that I needed answers—and that I shouldn’t give up until I had more peace about the issue. So began this quest to study and understand what it means as a believer to be delivered.

How about you? Have you ever wondered what it means to be delivered? To feel delivered? God’s declaration that He would deliver me implied many things that caused me to stop and think. If He would deliver me, then I needed to let go of the pieces of the puzzle I couldn’t make fit, no matter how hard I tried. That was a struggle for me because each piece was precious, and I felt as if I should be able to make them fit. I sensed, though, that God was offering much more than a quick-fix or rescue; He was offering me a whole new way to live. I wasn’t sure if I was ready or even had the stamina for the journey that might lie ahead. Even so, the choices were painfully clear. I could continue to struggle all alone, pushing myself through one more day, or I could take God at His word—and let go.

Excerpted from Let Go: Live Free of the Burdens All Women Know © 2008 by Sheila Walsh. Published in Nashville, Tennessee. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of Thomas Nelson, Inc.