"Rescue Us Now"

But the Israelites said to the LORD, “We have sinned. Do with us whatever you think best, but please rescue us now.” Then they got rid of the foreign gods among them and served the LORD. And he could bear Israel’s misery no longer. (Judges 10: 15,16)

Gods' people had fallen into a cycle of times of faithfulness followed by seasons of unfaithfulness. During the times of unfaithfulness, God would deliver them into the hands of oppressors and they would call out to the LORD for assistance. He would allow them to suffer for a time, but then would step in to rescue them. Lesson learned, right? Maybe a temporary lesson, but soon they would submit to the influence of those around them and fall back into their old sinful lives, only to call out for help again.
A few things come through loud and clear. Gods' faithfulness and man's unfaithfulness. He is a patient God. He keeps His promises and goes beyond what humans would consider reasonable. People, on the other hand are slow to learn lessons and repeat the same mistakes, over and over again. People need to be rescued!
Rescue. That word brings many pictures to my mind. It is the person, trapped beneath the rubble after an earthquake waiting for the outstretched hand of the firefighter. It is the man, stranded on his capsized boat in the middle of the ocean, eyes straining to see the airplane with his loved ones searching for him. It is the woman, locked in her wrecked, burning vehicle beating the window as the EMS worker brings out the jaws of life. It is the child, helpless in a war torn village being lifted into the arms of an American soldier. These are my pictures. Take a moment to think about your pictures......
Rescue. While these pictures are heartwarming and we love to see people in difficult situations rescued, each of these is momentary. They could be right back in a similar situation next week. The best we can do (and should do) is help someone in a life threatening situation, knowing that our help is temporary. While that is needed, real rescue is necessary. I am talking about the person trapped under a lifetime of rubble, unable to free themselves from the weight of the sin that traps them. I am talking about the man whose life is adrift in an ocean this life's pain. I am talking about the woman locked in a life of burning guilt. I am talking about the child living in a battlefield at home. Each wanting, each waiting to be rescued.
Only Jesus offers the kind of rescue that we need. Only God has the resources to meet every need. No situation is beyond His ability to heal. No person is too far gone, that He cannot fix the problem. I am reminded of the story of the man that lived in the tombs. (Mark 5) The man was an outcast and had been chained, but no chain could bind him. He lived among the dead and cried out continually. He would cut himself with stones. I can imagine Jesus as this wild, crazed, bloody, screaming man ran towards him. Jesus was able to see that he was trapped and needed to be rescued. People had given up on him, but God had not. In Mark 5, verse 15 we see the results of the outstretched hand of the Christ..."When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid". Rescued!
No matter where you are, no matter your situation, no matter your past life; Jesus offers rescue. The alcoholic, the porn addict, the wife abuser, the child molester, the murderer.....all can be rescued. The gossip, the lier, the shoplifter, the speeder, the cheat.....all can be rescued. "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son", the whole world. He loves everyone and offers rescue to everyone. No one is too deep in the rubble, no one is too far out to sea, no one is trapped too long and no one is beyond His nail-pierced outstretched hand. He wants to lift you out of the mess you are in and set you in your "right mind" Rescued!