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January 21, 2008
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=========================== TODAY'S ARTICLE ==========================
My Deliverer, by Phil Ware
One of the most moving collections of songs for me is "The Jesus
Record," by Rich Mullins. Several of Rich's friends had to come in and
help complete the album because of his untimely death several years
ago. The other morning, I awoke to the tune of one of the most powerful
songs in this collection, a tune I hadn't heard in months. The song is
entitled "My Deliverer." I wasn't sure why this song was so firmly
implanted in my heart at the time, but it was very much with me all
that morning. Was this the prompting of the Holy Spirit or did
something from my dreams bring this to my conscious thought? I wasn't
sure, so I listened to the song to see if something clicked inside me.
Mullin's song begins with these words:
Joseph took his wife and her child,
And they went to Africa
To escape the rage of a deadly king.
There along the banks of the Nile,
Jesus listened to the song
That the captive children used to sing.
They were singin' ...
At this point in the song, in the most haunting of voices, a group of
children begin singing beautifully, yet longingly:
My Deliverer is coming,
My Deliverer is standing by ...
As soon as I heard the song, it all clicked! I knew why it was there.
The word "Africa" and the phrase "My Deliverer is coming ..." helped me
make the immediate connection.
Many of you know that, Lord willing, I will be going to Uganda, Africa,
in February with Compassion International. Having sponsored a child and
seeing this precious young boy's heart in his letters, I don't have to
imagine children singing, "My Deliverer is coming ..." His love for
Jesus and his tender prayers for us and his concern for his
grandparents melts my heart. I know he believes Jesus is his Deliverer.
I know our family wants to keep that hope alive. What's more, I know
there are literally hundreds of thousands of children who are begging
for the Deliverer to come and help them so they can go to school and
have enough to eat and hold on to a glimmer of hope for the future.
As is the case for nearly all of us when we were children, to believe
in the ultimate Deliverer, we had to experience a more touchable
"deliverer." For most of us, this deliverer was a parent or
grandparent. They protected and nurtured us and helped us meet Jesus.
Yet for many children -- and I'm not just talking about children in
third world countries now -- their parents are not in a place to
function in the role of deliverer, or they have chosen not to function
in that role. Yes, Jesus can still be their great Deliverer even if
those closest to them do not share him with them, but it much less
likely. Over the last decade and more, studies have repeatedly revealed
that about 85% of people who come to faith in Jesus do so before they
are 18 years old. In other words, if we don't help them come to faith,
the likelihood of their ever doing so is small. We are called to be the
deliverers for those who have none so they can still know their real
Deliverer, their ultimate Deliverer is coming.
In a Psalm requesting God to arise and scatter his enemies, David calls
on us all to praise God with these words (Psalm 68:4-6 TNIV).
Sing to God, sing in praise of his name,
extol him who rides on the clouds;
rejoice before him -- his name is the Lord.
A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,
is God in his holy dwelling.
God sets the lonely in families,
he leads out the prisoners with singing ...
I don't know about you, but I want children who have very little
opportunity to experience the hope and promise of the Great Deliverer
to be given that opportunity. I want to be part of the Great Deliverer
being a Father to the fatherless and placing the lonely into families.
I don't want poverty, where a child is born, or the lack of parents to
be the cause of a child missing out on hope and never knowing about
Jesus. "But what can I do in the face of so many children worldwide in
deep need?"
Of course, this is the very valid question we all ask. I'm hoping you
have some suggestions to this to go with the few I list below. The main
thing is that we don't just feel overwhelmed and do nothing. Let's find
something to do and make a difference:
Let's make a difference!
* Love your children and grandchildren, praying that you can show
them Jesus as their ultimate deliverer.
* Personally support, and encourage your church to support, orphan
homes, foster care, and services for pregnant women and adoptive
parents.
* Demand firm justice in sentencing on child predators and abusers
from your lawmakers and protection for the children who have
suffered from violence and neglect.
* Be an advocate for children in your community: no matter your
political persuasion, demand that we think about children and our
elderly as we make public policy and spend our public dollars.
* Volunteer at a local public school as a mentor or tutor or coach
for a child, or be a part of Big Brothers, Big Sisters -- this is
especially important after your children are grown.
* And, of course, closest to my heart right now, please prayerfully
consider being a sponsor with Compassion International to help
provide the basics of necessities and the hope of Jesus for a child
in need: http://www.compassion.com
I'd love to hear your ideas on my blog on other ways to help us be a
deliverer for children in need so they can ultimately find the great
Deliverer. Let me hear from you:
http://blogs.heartlight.org/phil/?p=198
---------
(c) 2008 Phil Ware <phil@heartlight.org>. All rights reserved.
RELATED LINKS:
* Compassion at Christmas
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200712/20071211_compassionxmas.html
* Pincushion
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200801/20080114_pincushion.html
* The Power of One Dedicated Woman
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200005/20000528_sisterstone.html
* Southern Hills Church of Christ
http://www.southernhillschurch.org
This article can be found on the web at:
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200801/20080121_deliverer.html
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