But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them
Acts 16:25
I heard an account of a missionary family serving God in Columbia during the days when the drug cartels were very powerful. During that period of time the cartels would kill government officials, missionaries, and anyone else who stood in their way. This missionary family was sleeping when a band of armed men came to their door and demanded that they come out. The chants turned to pounding on the door. As you can imagine, there was fear inside the house. The mother remembered Hannah’s prayer from 1 Sam 2:9, 10 and began to pray with her children in a closet. In that moment thunder rumbled in the sky, and hail began to fall. Several of the men in the armed band were injured, and all of them scattered to find shelter.
There are many amazing accounts that come from missionaries that testify to the great and awesome power of God. In most cases the accounts are how God rescued those missionaries from difficulty in dramatic ways. I would say that God does not do that for us here in our place, but I would be limiting my understanding of God’s work. I think that it is better to say that we (myself included) do not expect God to work in such dramatic ways because we neither expect it nor do we see a need for that type of intervention. Nothing could be farther from the truth. God is still the God of dramatic rescues. I think that the weakness of our faith often hinders our perception of God as the One who tears out of heaven on the fiery cherubim with hailstones and fire (Psalm 18). This isn’t to say that God is going to dramatically rescue His children in every situation. There are times when God rescues us quietly.
The fact is that God still rescues His children. God rescues us from situations because He loves us. God rescues us from trouble because of the greatness of His name. God rescues us from trouble because it brings glory to His name.
God is a great God. There is no comparison to the True and Living YHWH and the false gods of this world. Our True YHWH is powerful beyond imagination. He dwells in imponderable light. He is defined by His holiness and governed by His impeccable nature. He reigns in unparalleled majesty. He rules with holy justice. His love reaches beyond the stretches of our imagination. His grace transcends all mortal thought. His salvation is great and blasts through our selfish sin. He looks at us with eyes of love and forgiveness, justice and holiness. He is the great Provider, meeting us at our need. He is El Shaddai (God Almighty). He is El Elyon (The Most High God). He is from everlasting to everlasting. He is the Great Shepherd. He is the God of Peace.
But most importantly, the One True God is our Abba, our Daddy who loves us beyond our wildest dreams and has a plan for our lives that boggles the mind. He is your Daddy. He is my Daddy. And because He loves me and He loves you He meets the deepest needs of our soul. He rescues us as He determines – out of His majestic love for us.
There is no one holy like the LORD, indeed, there is no one besides You, nor is there any rock like our God . . . He keeps the feet of His godly ones, but the wicked ones are silenced in darkness; for not by might shall a man prevail. Those who contend with the Lord will be shattered; against them He will thunder in the heavens . . .”
1 Samuel 2:2, 9-11
