Rescue Your People

November 3

"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior..." Isaiah 43:2-3.

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand,” Isaiah 41:10.

“I, even I, am he who comforts you; who are you that you are afraid of man who dies, or of the son of man who is made like grass, and have forgotten the LORD, your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth, and you fear continually all the day because of the wrath of the oppressor, when he sets himself to destroy And where is the wrath of the oppressor?” Isaiah 51:12,13.

“Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things that you do not know,” Jeremiah 33:3.

The first of the four passages above identifies a truth—there will be times when we as believers in Christ shall pass through deep waters and there will be times when life’s trials scorch the person of faith to the point that he feels the flames of his dilemma singe upon him mercilessly, but he is assured that whether he goes through the deep waters of adversity or is stung by the scorching flames of trial, the Holy One of Israel, his Savior, will be with him.

The second of the four passages encourages the believer that because the Holy One is with him, the believer should not be dismayed. The believer must recognize that in spite of the swollen waters of oppression or the hissing flames of adversity, he shall be upheld by a mighty hand; the believer shall not fall.

Beyond simply being attended through the challenges of life by the One who has promised, “I will never fail you nor forsake you,” Hebrews 13:5, the Lord also promises to comfort the believer at the time of his affliction. The man of faith is reminded that his oppressor is like “the grass that withers away,” Isaiah 40:8, so his vitriol and his ranting should not be feared. The believer must remember the One who stretched forth the heaven and established the earth, before Whom the wrath of the oppressor must be subdued.

We live at a juncture in time when persecution against our brothers in Christ is on the rise. We see a demonic entity advancing with impunity through areas where people of faith have long maintained their enclaves within hostile lands that were long ago swarmed by the minions of the evil one.

And we have seen our brave brothers abide in the faith, even at the cost of martyrdom. They have had the horrors of hell hurled upon them and they have remained strong, even unto death. In the throes of their pain and seeming defeat, they have stood strong in the Christ who sets them free and their reward is in HIS hand!

But we, people of faith who live in freedom, as we see the merciless assault of a wicked foe upon our brothers, must be before the Throne of the Holy One, beseeching the God of Mercy to intervene in the behalf of His beleaguered people. And how should we come before the God in Whose hand is all power?

He tells us that we may, “come boldly to the Throne of Grace and there find help in time of need,” Hebrews 4:16. He tells us that we must plead the blood of Jesus over the people who are being persecuted and over the circumstances that oppress them, for there is great power in the blood that was shed on Calvary.

The Word tells us that we must, “pray without ceasing,” I Thessalonians 5:17; and in Luke 18:1-8 Jesus Himself conveys the importance of persistence in prayer when He relays this encouragement:

“Men ought to pray and not lose heart.” Then He gave this example of the importance of persistence: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ And the unjust judge would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, so she will not weary me by her continual coming.’

“Then the Lord said, ‘Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily.’ Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”

Shall we be wearied by the atrocities we know are being perpetrated against our brothers in Christ or shall we be resolute in our determination to pray through to the victory we know the Lord wants them to have! Our only option is to pray fervently until the Lord moves in the behalf of His people!

And as we pray, may we not forget to fast for we know there are some demonic strongholds that cannot be broken except by prayer and fasting (see Matthew 17:21 and Mark 9:29).

Lord Jesus, help us to be prayer warriors who will not stop praying, will not stop believing, will not stop fasting until we see Your mighty hand moving in the behalf of Your people. We ask that You rescue Your faithful ones through signs and wonders and the intervention of Your angelic army.