A Way Out

I was reading this verse when it struck me that you can read it in two ways. Paul is writing to Timothy and saying that the Lord would rescue him from the evil deeds of others. But it struck me that the meaning is equally true the other way around. The Lord can and does rescue you and me from our own evil deed, or deeds, the ones we can’t forgive ourselves for, the ones that won’t go away from our thoughts, our conscience, our life.

The Lord freely forgives us when we repent, but maybe you are like me. I often struggle with self-blame. Do you find it hard to forgive yourself and to be free from anger, self-blame and even hating yourself? If so, why not meditate on this verse today.

Our loving and powerful Father can rescue you (and others) from your evil deeds and their negative consequences. Of course, He doesn’t magically remove the natural consequences of our actions, but He does specialise in bringing good out of every situation.

Perhaps because of His immense creativity, even in situations that seem impossible to us, He can find unique ways to turn everything to produce good. In fact, I suspect He gets huge joy out of doing just that! As Paul says in Romans 8:28, ‘And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.’

Prayer: Thank You, Lord, that You can (and will) rescue me from every evil deed, whether it was done by someone else and affected me, or whether I did it myself. Thank You that I don’t have to punish myself or rescue myself, but I can look to You for help today. Amen.