When God Doesn’t Rescue—He’s Always Up To Something.
2 Corinthians 7:5TPT
I’m going to begin by telling you what’s behind the scenes of this one verse that sums-up the apostle Paul’s fears and troubles.
Here we read about the uncertainty of the Apostle Paul, his mind was filled with the deepest apprehension.
The Apostles Paul dealt fierce opposition, which he met with in prosecuting his work of preaching the gospel. He met there, as he did everywhere, with opposition from Pagans, Jews, and false brethren.
Wherever Paul went, Tumults—harsh anger were usually excited and he preached the gospel commonly amidst violent opposition.
Within were fears, referring probably to the anxiety which he had in regard to the success of the Epistle which he had sent to the church at Corinth. He felt great solicitude on the subject. Paul had sent Titus to Corinth, to see what was the state of the church, and to witness the effect of his instructions. Titus had not come to him as he had expected, at Troas.
2 Corinthians 2:13NIV I still had no peace of mind, because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said goodbye to them and went on to Macedonia.
Paul’s fears were many, a big one was that the young church that received 1 & 2 Corinthians, would be unwilling to exercise the discipline on the offender; or lest the severity of the discipline required should alienate them from him; or lest the party under the influence of the false teachers should prevail. All was uncertainty, and his mind was filled with the deepest apprehension.
2 Corinthians 7:5TPT Even after we came into the province of Macedonia, we found no relief. We were restless and exhausted; troubles met us at every turn. Outwardly I faced conflicts and inwardly emotional turmoil.
2 Corinthians 7:5NIV “For when we came into Macedonia, this body of ours had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn—conflicts on the outside, fears within”
The New King James translation of this verse uses the painfully descriptive phrase “hard pressed” to describe Paul’s trials.
He states, “We were hard pressed on every side!”
The origin of this phrase comes from the practice of squeezing a fruit or vegetable (grapes, olives) to extract its juice.
Are you ready for a fact: At some point in your near future or maybe in the near-past, you will (have) say (said) something like, “I feel hard-pressed. ‘Like life has me between concrete and a pestle, which is a heavy tool with a rounded end, used for crushing and grinding.
I know you can relate: “You sweat, groan, weep and even rage but cannot find relief.”
The intense pressure doesn’t stop—You plead for rescue, yet the vise of life’s circumstances squeezes tighter and tighter until you think you might scream, and sometimes you do.
You cry, “Why doesn’t God rescue me?” you cry, and the question echoes back. “Why?”
I believe there are at least nine reasons why God sometimes chooses not to rescue us.
If you’re feeling hard-pressed today or know someone who is, I invite you to prayerfully consider these reasons and ask the Lord to show you which might apply to your situation.
Why God Chooses Not to Rescue Us:
1. We don’t believe He can.
God works in response to faith.
Hebrews 11:6, tells us that without faith, it is impossible to please Him.
“Our lack of faith can be a huge hindrance, some folk acknowledge faith but don’t practice it whatsoever.” P.H
God never forces faith on anyone. Thankfully, all it takes is the faith of a mustard seed to invite God to work in our lives.
“It’s not how much faith we have, but in whom our faith rests that matters.’
‘Does your faith rest solely in Him?” P.H
2. Why God chooses not to rescue us, We have sin in our lives.
We cannot willfully choose to disobey God and simultaneously expect Him to bless us.
As parents, we naturally withhold blessings from our children if they rebel against us.
God often does the same. More important than health, wealth, and happiness is whether we have a right relationship with God.
“God often uses difficult circumstances to help us realize how much we need Him.” P.H
3. Why God chooses not to rescue us, We need to learn to trust him.
“Our faith begins small and increases with every challenge.’
‘Like a muscle, our confidence in God’s power grows stronger the more we exercise it.’ ‘Trials, heartbreaks, and circumstances beyond our control force us to turn to our all-powerful God.” P.H
Every time we acknowledge our weakness and see Him act on our behalves, our faith grows. Before long, we have a long list of answered prayers that makes it easier and easier to trust him.
4. Why God chooses not to rescue us, He knows that a rescue wouldn’t be best.
So often we just want ‘out’ of a difficult situation; We’re not interested in what’s best in the long- term, we want relief now!
Testimony—I remember when my two sons wore braces. Every month the orthodontist would tighten the wires on their teeth so much that their teeth would ache for days.
If you asked either one of them during this painful time if they wanted their braces removed, they would have said, “YES!”
However, their orthodontist knew that while taking off their braces would have ended their temporary suffering, it would have interfered with their long-term health—The same is true of many of our trials.
The apostle Paul knew this when he wrote— Romans 8:18, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us”
5. Why God chooses not to rescue us, There’s a lesson we need to develop through this situation.
If you were to lose your job, you learn that God is your provider.
When mother’s care for a baby with colic and another with constant ear infections, they learn patience, kindness, and unselfishness.
When you work with difficult coworkers, you learn to see them through Jesus’ eyes, not your own.
Instead of asking Why? when we encounter difficulty, what if we asked What?, as in, “What can I learn from this situation?”
6. Why God chooses not to rescue us, God is building our faith story so we can one day share what we’ve learned with others.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 reveals this purpose: 3 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ ... who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”
Testimony: Because of the faith-valleys I’ve walked, I can truly identify with and minister to those who have experienced the death of a parent, and those who parent children into adulthood.
Experiencing God’s faithfulness during difficult times has enabled me to say with certainty— “God will help you!”
7. Why God chooses not to rescue us, God is doing something amazing.
Listen, “You can’t see it right now, but He’s working out his purpose in your situation.” P.H
1 Corinthians 2:9NIV “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him”
8. Why God chooses not to rescue us, God is developing His mind and heart in you.
When circumstances press-us-hard-into-God’s -Word and force us to seek Him for wisdom, faith, grace, and strength, He begins to conform us to His image.
This I know—We can’t spend large amounts of time in His presence without starting to think, act, and love like He does.
Romans 8:28-29NIV “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son...”
9. Why God chooses not to rescue us, Last be not least, God is teaching you that a close, personal, spiritual relationship with Him is sweeter and more precious than a happy, healthy, trouble-free, physical life!
Testimony: In the last year or so, I’ve experienced several trials greater than anything I’d ever walked through before.
As I cried, and prayed, and cried some more, and decided to man up. Say— “Man Up, or Woman up!”
Hear this word— Jesus will wrap His big tender arms of love around you and He will speak words of hope into your troubled soul. He’ll speak words of truth into your reeling mind.
He will speak words of love into your broken heart. And He will speak words of courage into your trampled faith.
Never forget this—God rewards faith. He rewards little faith, big faith, and everything in-between.
Hear the words of Paul in Philippians 3:8 “... I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ”
Remember from today’s text, “Paul felt no relief.”
Now listen to the next two verses—2 Corinthians 7-6-7TPT But God, who always knows how to encourage the depressed, encouraged us greatly by the arrival of Titus. 7 We were relieved not only to see him but because of the report he brought us of how you refreshed his heart. He told us of your affection toward me, your deep remorse, and how concerned you were for me. This truly made my heart leap for joy!
“Always remember, faith in God is always your move; Disallow everything else but keep your faith in God.” P.H
Benedition.
