My Redeemer Lives
“Who redeemeth thy life from
destruction.” Psalm 103:4
Erma Bombeck wrote, “If life is a bowl
of cherries, why am I in the pits.”
David would concur that he knows what it’s like to live in the pits. Not a
literal place that we fall into, Rather,
when David refers to pits, he is speaking of the Lord bringing him back from
the brink of death.” Literally, “pit” is
Sheol (where the dead go when they die) As far as David is concerned, he
doesn’t mean that God has rescued him from Sheol by taking him to heaven, for
he is not in heaven yet. He means that God has redeemed him by sparing him from
death..
On several occasions with King Saul,
where spears are thrown at him and where he was pursued in the caves, God kept
him protected at each point.
Whether or not you have been spared from death like David, God has spared us
from certain death
When he lived in Japan during
his Junior High years, author and pastor Wayne Cordeiro’s father served in the
army. For three years, he was stationed in a small
town called Zama. It was a beautiful place but still an army
installation enclosed with barbed wire.
He looked forward to trips off base.
One summer, they jumped in the car for a ride into the mountains. They stopped for lunch. On one side was Japanese woman selling
“bentos” On the other side, there was a
man dressed in a “yukatta.” (or happy coat).
He was selling tiny birds and he held ten or so bamboo cages, each one
containing a small bird that looked like a finch.
Wayne
asked, “How much for one bird?”
He said, “100 yen each.” (or bout 36
cents)
He handed the
man 100 yen. Chose one of the bamboo
cages containing a finch. Wayne
walked back across the street to show his family his purchase.
The man yelled to him, “Don’t forget to
bring the cage back when you’re done, now!”
Wayne thought, “Bring back the cage
when I’m done…I’m not planning on eating the thing, I just want a pet.”
The man said, “You don’t understand!
The bird and cage are not for you to take home. The 100 yen is to take the bird
to the edge of the valley and release it so it will be able to fly free!”
Wayne
didn’t like the idea at first. He had just paid his hard earned money. Then he thought why not. He gave the bird a couple of nudges and it
flew out over the valley and into the mountains out of sight. The true picture of a ransom. Just like he ransomed the bird, God ransomed
us. He releases us so that we won’t have
to experience bondage
David says, “He redeems
your life from the pit” or as another translation says, “He ransoms me from
hell.” The idea
of redemption has to do with “buying back” or “ransoming” an individual from a
place of despair. What we could never do
on our own, we are able to do with God’s work in our lives. This has definite connotations when it comes
to salvation. We have been bought back
with a price. It also refers to a
redemption that occurs through bondages
The great news to all believers is
that we have a Redeemer who rescues us and releases us to our highest call.
We must stand in amazement often to recall that He loved us when we were
unlovely and offered His life as a sacrifice for us. Hallelujah, what a Savior!
Terry Risser
Reflections:
1) How has Christ’s redemption impacted you the
most?
2) Take time to praise Him for His great gift
to you.
Consider reading the Word today:
Copyright
2014- Terry Risser
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