19 The righteous person may have many troubles,
but the Lord delivers him from them all;
20 he protects all his bones,
not one of them will be broken.
21 Evil will slay the wicked;
the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
22 The Lord will rescue his servants;
no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.
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What struck me in these ending verses from Psalm 34 is the assertion that although the righteous will have many troubles, the Lord delivers from all of them.
Really? All of them?
What comes to mind is when John the Baptist was in prison, wondering if Jesus was the expected Messiah. In a sense John was saying to his cousin, “Hey cous! Get me out of here!” What was Jesus’ response? He assured John that He was indeed the one for whom John prepared, but left John in prison. And there in prison Herod executed John.
“The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all;”
Well, except for John the Baptist. Or Christians who die of cancer or COVID-19, or who are killed in accidents. Or who are being persecuted to the point of death. Either the Scripture isn’t true or I’m applying this verse incorrectly.
It’s the latter. John was delivered from prison – through death. And he will be with us at the resurrection. All those in Christ for whom we pray will be healed – in the resurrection, if not before. Those who are persecuted will be comforted in the coming Kingdom of the Lamb in glory.
The point is not a mere dismissal of the suffering of this life because a better thing is coming, but rather to take to heart the enormity of the promise of resurrection. The resurrection is the central feature of the fulfillment of all of God’s promises, the defining mark of the New Age to Come. It is to be as real to us, and as present in our minds as the present world in which we are living.
So my prayer is for this kind of faith in God’s gift of resurrection. I pray for the confidence that in Christ all prayers are answered, and all deliverance is given – incomplete in this life and extravagantly in the resurrection. I am praying especially also for those who are struggling with the very present need for deliverance in this life. I’m praying for that deliverance now, while also praying for faith in God’s ultimate answer in the resurrection.
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