When God Doesn't Rescue- He's Always Up To Something.

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.