Texas Snowstorm, 2021

 

“Hear, O my people, and I will speak; O Israel, I will testify against you. I am God, your God. Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you; your burnt offerings are continually before me. I will not accept a bull from your house or goats from your folds. For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine. “If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are mine. Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats? Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High, and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” (Psalm 50:7-15 ESV).

 

A few weeks ago Texas experienced what is known as a “generational disaster.” The entire state came to a point where the electrical grid nearly failed leaving millions without power for weeks. The roads were snow packed and unnavigable. There were food shortages, water outages, and other problems unknown since 1949! The storm lasted for five days and the temperatures dropped below zero in much of the state. Numerous people found themselves unable to contact emergency personnel because of the storm.

 

One story was particularly poignant. A 50-year old man called 911 for help. He said his "entire stomach [was] in pain." Two hours later he would call again. That's the call where he asked, "What's the holdup on the ambulance?" Nobody had called him and said the emergency vehicle hadn't been able to get there because of snow. In the next 28 hours, he and his wife would call again… ten times. By the time that last call was made he had stopped breathing. He died waiting for help to arrive.

It's a sad thing when people call for help and don't get it. This is why the Lord's promise in our reading is so important. God says if we call upon Him in our days of trouble, He will not only hear us, but He will deliver us. Now, that's a broad kind of promise that might make people ask, "Really? Can we be sure?" If that's where you're coming from, if that's the question you're asking, I'd like to tell you the answer: "Yes!"

When Adam and Eve lost their right to the Garden of Eden, God gave them a promise of delivery. When the Children of Israel cried because of their enslavement in Egypt, God delivered them. When sinners came to Jesus, He delivered and restored them. So we might be delivered from sin, Satan, and death is why Jesus was born. It is why He lived His life and died our death. Now, because of His third-day resurrection from the dead we can be sure of our blood-bought deliverance and salvation. That’s the message of Lent!