What past deliverances can we recall to strengthen our faith in God's promises? Gideon’s heartfelt cry and the call to remember Judges 6:13: “Pardon me, my Lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all His wonders of which our fathers told us, saying, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the LORD has forsaken us and delivered us into the hand of Midian.” Why recalling God’s rescues strengthens faith • Remembered victories turn past history into present confidence. • Each literal deliverance reveals God’s unchanging character—mighty, faithful, near. • Scripture spotlights these events so believers will trust His promises when new battles arise (Romans 15:4). Nation-wide deliverances to rehearse • Egypt’s chains broken (Exodus 12–14). – Exodus 14:13-14: “Stand firm and you will see the LORD’s salvation… The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” • Red Sea opened and Israelites walked “on dry ground” (Exodus 14:21-22). • Jordan River stopped; a dry crossing into the Promised Land (Joshua 4:23-24). • Jericho’s walls collapsed at a shout (Joshua 6:20). • Midian shattered by Gideon’s 300 (Judges 7:22). • Assyrian army struck down in one night, sparing Jerusalem (2 Kings 19:35). Personal rescues that speak to individual hearts • Joseph raised from prison to palace (Genesis 41:14-44). • David delivered “from the paw of the lion…and from the hand of this Philistine” (1 Samuel 17:37). • Elijah’s altar consumed by fire on Carmel (1 Kings 18:36-39). • Three Hebrews kept unharmed in the furnace (Daniel 3:17, 24-27). • Daniel protected in the lions’ den—“My God sent His angel and shut the mouths of the lions” (Daniel 6:22). • Paul repeatedly rescued—“He has delivered us…He will deliver us again” (2 Corinthians 1:10). The supreme deliverance in Christ • At the cross and empty tomb, God conquered sin and death once for all. • Romans 8:32: “He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?” • Every lesser rescue echoes this ultimate salvation and guarantees God’s future help. Keeping the memories alive today • Read these accounts aloud, letting details stir fresh awe. • Mark and date personal answers to prayer beside related passages. • Sing psalms and hymns that recount God’s mighty acts (Psalm 105; Psalm 136). • Tell the next generation, just as the fathers told Gideon’s generation (Deuteronomy 6:20-23). Each remembered deliverance—ancient or recent—becomes a firm stepping-stone, lifting faith from “Where are His wonders?” to confident expectation that the God who saved before will surely keep every promise today. |
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