INSTANT RESCUE
One evening in Mexico, Linda and I witnessed a magical moment. On the beach, hundreds of baby sea turtles were slowly maneuvering their way to the sea. I reached to pick one up to rescue it, but Linda stopped me. “If you help them, they won’t survive. Their flippers have to develop the strength to swim.” So we stood back and watched in the twilight, shooing away gulls and other predators. Directly rescuing them would have harmed the babies. Instead, we provided the protection they needed to complete their journey.
As we struggle on our journey through life, God could step in, scoop us up, and instantly rescue us from our struggles. But like the turtles, we need hardships to strengthen us. God meets us where we are, watches over us, and protects us from danger.
When the Israelites arrived at the Red Sea in Exodus 14, God could have had everything prepared in advance—the water pre-parted, the ground dry, and the Egyptians’ chariots stuck in the mud, so they could waltz their way across. But he chose not to instantly rescue them. As Israel saw the Egyptians behind them, and the Red Sea before them, “they were terrified and cried out to the LORD” (verse 10). Then Moses lifted his staff, the waters parted, and the Israelites crossed over. Looking back, they witnessed God destroying their enemies. In this process, their faith rose to new heights, (Exodus 15) even if it didn’t last.
I see myself in this story, as I’ve struggled with Linda’s illness and death over the past year. Oh, how I wish God would have scooped us up and deposited us on the other side, never having to experience these struggles. Rather than instant rescue, he’s allowing me to endure a faith-altering ordeal, as I’m learning to trust him in new ways. It’s agonizing—but he’s filling my journey with blessings upon blessings.
Like our experience with the turtles, like Israel at the Red Sea, and like Linda’s cancer, God meets us where we are, with what we need, at the moment we need it. Do we wish he would do it instantly? Absolutely. But we learn to trust him. He allows us to experience exactly the adversity we each need to strengthen us. And he loves us enough to stand back and watch us struggle, as we journey to the “sea.”
Principle: Rather than instantly rescuing us, God watches over us in the midst of our struggles.
Ponder:
What difficult experience have you faced when God allowed you to struggle and didn’t instantly rescue you?
What challenges are you currently facing where you sense God’s presence and protection?
Pursue: For a deeper dive, study Exodus 14 and 15.
Prayer: Loving Father thank you for the times when you don’t instantly rescue us. Help us to lean in close to you during those times.