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Deliver Me

In you, Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame. In your righteousness, rescue me and deliver me; turn your ear to me and save me. Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress. Deliver me, my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of those who are evil and cruel.

Psalms 71:1‭-‬4 NIV

Do you remember playing tag?  Much of my childhood I grew up on a culdesac.  There were plenty of neighborhood kids in the "circle", as we called it. Most evenings it was filled with kids playing together until moms and dads called us home.  Summers were the best.  It stayed light longer and often we were able to stay out and play after it was dark. 

We played all kinds of games and rode bikes, big wheels, and any other creation we could get our hands on.  One of my favorite games we played was good old tag. Of course, in the game someone is "it".  The object of the game is not to get tagged and become "it".  If you did become "it", you had to find someone else and tag them, making them "it".  There were all kinds of variations to rules like "no tag backs" or an established "base".

Base was a safe place where you couldn't be tagged.  As long as you were touching base you were untaggable! You could catch your breath or plot your next move.  But the base was a place of safety and rest.

When I read Psalm 71, I think of being on base when we are with God.  We have refuge from the craziness of the world surrounding us.  We are rescued and delivered to safety.  God provides a fortress to protect us from whomever is "it" in our walk on this earth.  Cruelty has no footing on our rock. 

Our rock and salvation is only found in Jesus Christ.  He endured torture and overcame death to provide us refuge.  In Jesus we find rest and protection.  In Jesus we are not defined by this world and we are delivered from its evilness and cruelty.  The king of kings provides the ultimate “base”, as his death and resurrection deliver us from eminent doom and redeem us with God.  

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing,

Matt



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