“Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies” – Psalm 103:4 (NKJV)
Apostle Emmanuel Iren, the lead facilitator of this platform, once shared the story of a young man who was deep listening to music while crossing the road and he only missed a fatal collision by a whisker. While bystanders and observers were acknowledging that a supernatural deliverance just occurred, the young man was not even aware of the testimony.
This young man may go to the place of prayer and still feel like God has not been faithful, whereas he may not even realise be aware of the things God has delivered him from. This is exactly the attitude that many of us have, we only acknowledge what we think the Lord has delivered us from. How about the things He delivered us from that we are not even aware of? His praises must continually be in your mouth (Psalm 34:1) especially in thnakgiving for God’s work of safety and preservation in your life.
We can learn a crucial lesson from Paul’s disposition in 1 Corinthians 1:10. He described God as the one who has delivered, is delivering, and will yet deliver. This shows us the character of God when it comes to our preservation, we should never second guess His mind towards us in this regard. He is the same yesterday, today and forevermore (Hebrews 13:8).
Jacob at the end of his life acknowledged God as the one who has redeemed him from all evil (Genesis 48:16). In all and through all, this should be the testimony of our lives. Our might, power, and wisdom could not have brought us this far.
Some people think that living carefully and staying healthy is all it takes for preservation or long life. While this is true in principle and the scriptures teach that we apply wisdom in our daily conduct (Proverbs 22:3), you must never fail to acknowledge God as the one preserving you.
A common phrase when people are appreciated or thanked for the good they have done is ‘Don’t mention it!’. But do not be decieved, some people are only being polite, in actual fact not showing appreciation for their actions and gifts is an act of ingratitude. Jesus asking about the nine lepers that refused to come back for thanksgiving shows us that God notices ingratitude (Luke 17:17-18).
Even waking up everyday is a miracle of preservation. The psalmist said, I slept and woke up because the Lord sustained me (Psalm 3:5). You must never get too familiar with this supernatural occurrence of waking up everyday that you won’t thank God for it.
When you look back on your life and the past year, are you tempted to complain? Do all your breakthroughs seem to have a complication? The songwriter has a challenge for you; sit down and count your blessings. You might find that you are ungrateful because you are forgetful.
Dearly beloved of God, be grateful that God has preserved your life up till this moment. There are many life threatening situations that the Lord has delivered you from that you might not even be aware of, be grateful! Don’t overlook what He has already done for you while asking Him for more. In this season, thank God for His preservation.
Bible Reading Plan: Jonah; John 18:12–27