Delivered From Trouble

The righteous is delivered from trouble,And it comes to the wicked instead.

Proverbs 11:8 (NKJV)

Here is a very important promise: God rescues the godly from trouble. But does this mean that when you walk with the Lord, there is a bubble around you, that you will never face hardships or go through tough times?

No. Really I wish it meant that, but it doesn’t. When we read the Bible, we see righteous men like Job and Joseph and even Jesus himself go through times that are worse than we can imagine.

So what kind of deliverance is this proverb talking about? The Hebrew word for trouble in this verse is tsarah, which means “tightness, distress.” Hmm. Could this mean then that no matter what, nothing can press you so hard on the outside as to break you down and destroy you inside? This is the greater and really most important wall of protection, isn’t it? We can lose our job or our house or even our health, but it’s when these things rob our peace, our integrity, or our faith that we become bankrupt.

Paul the apostle is the perfect example. He loved the Lord and spent his life radically sharing the gospel, and yet he went through crazy, hard times. Listen to what he had to say about this in 2 Corinthians 4:8-9: “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed” (NIV). So our promise from God in this is that when hard times crush on you, he will give his strength in you.

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

What kind of problems are you facing right now? Health problems, a handicapped child, an aging parent, finances, a troubling lawsuit—all these things can feel like a mountain ready to crush you. But God has promised he will deliver you. David wrote the words of Psalm 56 when he was running for his life from King Saul. He had no safe place to run, but to God alone. Will you read it today and let his words and trust in God’s deliverance give you hope?

One Year Bible Reading

Numbers 19:1–20:29; Luke 1:1-25; Psalm 56:1-13; Proverbs 11:8