“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”—John 3:16 NIV
“No one is coming to rescue you.”
I heard this line from a speaker’s reel on Instagram. While I appreciated her point about being strong and able to take care of yourself as an adult, I do not agree that, literally, no one is going to rescue you. I also don’t believe that it’s always possible for us to “rescue” ourselves.
Today, I’d like to encourage you with a true story. There is a King who loves you so much that He sent His Son into your world to save your soul so you can be reconciled to Him. He invites you to enter His Kingdom and then experience life everlasting in a perfect body, living with Him forever.
The King’s name is God, also known as “I Am,” or as my late maternal grandmother would say, “The Great I Am”. The son of the King is Jesus Christ and He loves you with all of His heart. Jesus thinks you are worth dying for and so He did! John 3:16 begins to explain this beautiful truth. But Christ did not stay dead in the grave. After three days, He rose again, appeared to His disciples, then returned to His Father in Heaven. Jesus is still in Heaven acting as our Advocate and the Bridge between God and humankind.
Thanks to Jesus, we can approach God at any time through prayer in Jesus’s Name. When we pray, we need to “enter into His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise” (Psalm 100:4), then present our prayer requests and needs to Him. God loves you and He’s more than ready and willing to provide your every need. The Bible advises us to “come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). This means that God will always come to your rescue! Where humans fail, God exceeds expectations. Even if people who are trained to rescue us in extreme situations, such as the U.S. Navy SEALs, fail their rescue mission, the King of the Universe never fails! He has endless ways to successfully deliver us.
The advice from motivational speakers has a place when it moves us to work hard, do the right things, and be strong and independent. But we must be cautious to not be so independent that we stop depending on God. He isn’t asking us to figure out everything and solve every problem. All God is asking is that we trust Him, love Him, live for Him, and follow Him all the way to Heaven. The Bible says that God will work everything out for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).
Let’s take a deep breath and release a sigh of relief. How does it feel to know that God loves you and takes care of you? That you do not have to “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” as you march through life?
I felt this relief when I realized that God had me covered. It freed me from being a perfectionist and relieved me of trying to control everything. I’ve learned to work to the best of my ability and trust God with the outcome. It helps to know that He is always in control and has our best interest at heart. An example of this is when God rescued me from my fears of moving across the country to accept my first big break in Journalism. While there, I worked for a county newspaper as the Editor and reporter. I lived in a small town located in a beautiful, rural area and surrounded by mountains. There were dangers of living in the country but God kept me safe and in His perfect peace. He made me brave and taught me many life lessons that I can still apply today. Most of all, God gave me more time alone with Him and taught me more about His character.
God wants to spend time with us, here on Earth and forever in Heaven. He’s not asking us to strong-arm our way through life. When we’re in trouble, He wants us to cry out to Him for help because He wants to rescue us. We are all sinners saved by God’s grace (Ephesians 2:8-9). God came to Earth to be with us and save us because we can’t save ourselves. This is the ultimate rescue.
If you have not already, would you accept the rescue offered through Jesus Christ? He wants to know you. You might also be encouraged by the songs, “Just to Know You,” by Mark Schultz and “The Bridge” by Casting Crowns.
Let’s Pray: Dear Jesus, thank You for being our Ultimate Rescue. I appreciate your sacrifice and the gift of salvation. Help us to accept your gift and be reconciled with God. I love you, Lord. In Jesus’s name, I pray. Amen.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Andrew McArthur
Related Resource: Jesus Calling - Stories of Faith
Kerry Washington, Andrea Bocelli, Reba McEntire, Mark Wahlberg, Tony Dungy, and Matthew McConaughey—what do all of these people have in common? They are all people of faith who have leaned on God in both the good and challenging times—and they’ve shown up to tell their stories of faith on The Jesus Calling Podcast. The Jesus Calling Podcast provides a place for people from all walks of life to share the heartaches, joys, and divine moments that keep them going.
Inspired by Sarah Young's classic devotional book, the Jesus Calling podcast has brought encouragement and peace to millions. New episodes drop every Thursday! Listen today on LifeAudio.com or wherever you find your podcasts.
Originally published Thursday, 18 January 2024.
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