Years ago, a car was stolen in California. Police were staging an intense search for the vehicle and the driver, even to the point of placing announcements on local radio stations to contact the thief. On the front seat of the stolen car sat a box of crackers that, unknown to the thief, were laced with poison. The car owner had intended to use the crackers as rat bait. Now the police and the owner of the stolen car were more interested in apprehending the thief to save his life than to recover the car.
So often when we run from God, we feel it is to escape His punishment. But what we are actually doing is eluding His rescue.
One day, God rescued Noah and his family. On countless occasions, the Lord rescued a man named David. For a while, David was on the run, being chased by his enemies. In Psalm 18:19, however, David says of the Lord, “He brought me out into a spacious place; He rescued me because He delighted in me.”
God still desires to rescue. He desires to rescue all of us from our greatest enemy – death. That’s why He sent His one and only Son into this world. He came to rescue us by laying down His life for us. Jesus paid the penalty for our sin so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but will have everlasting life. Why would God do this? Remember what David said? He rescues you because He delights in you.
God can work in mysterious ways, but even when we feel as followers that we are in the wrong, He continues to love us unconditionally. At Hope, we believe that God the Father created the universe. He is Holy and just, and also loving and compassionate. His deepest desire is to live in a close relationship with all people.
