He Rescues and He Saves

For He is the living God and He endures forever; His kingdom will not be destroyed, His dominion will never end. He rescues and He saves. Daniel 6:26 (NIV)

Standing in the checkout line at a department store, a drama between a mother and her young son unfolded before me. The boy, who appeared to be about four years old, left his mother’s side and began fingering a display of ceramic cookie jars in a variety of animal shapes.

“Come back here Donny,” the mother said softly. Donny ignored her and took the top off a cookie jar shaped like a kitten. “Come here,” Donny’s mother said, a bit more firmly. The child put the kitten top down and took the top off a jar with a puppy’s head. “Put that down right now,” the mother shouted. Donny dropped the lid and it broke into several pieces. “Now look what you’ve done,” Mother said. She left the line, grabbed Donny’s hand and led him away from the display.

When we wander from God’s side, He often speaks to us in a soft voice reminding us to return to Him. Because He loves us, His voice may become more insistent. Praise God, He does not give up on His own…even when our behavior causes damage. Eventually, though we wander, He takes those who belong to Him by the hand and leads them to a safer place…if we let Him. Donny’s mother may have been reacting in anger, but our God acts to rescue His children in love.

Prayer: Lord, thank You that you are a loving God who rescues and saves. Help us to hear and respond to your voice before we do damage to ourselves and others.

© Christy Struben 2009