Deliverance

by

Wendy Kleker

David was having a hard time of it. His father-in-law, his new found mentor, his king was chasing him all over the country side trying to kill David by any means he could. Yet David would not raise up arms against his king. Even though Saul claimed David as an enemy, David refused to kill him when he had the chance. Yet David was a fugitive, run out of his home, forced to hide in dark caves and scrounge for food for himself and his followers.

David was a tough young man. He knew what it was like to live in the hills with his sheep for weeks without the comforts of home. He fought with bears and lions to protect his sheep. He downed a mighty giant with a sling shot and cut off Goliath’s head with his own sword. He was no wimp, yet to spend years running and hiding out in the wilderness was a hardship almost too much to bare. He had to wonder why God who had anointed him the next king would allow this hardship to go on. He prayed often to be delivered and saved from his enemy.

“Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am in distress. Tears blur my eyes, my body and soul are withering away. I am dying from grief, my years are shortened by sadness. My enemies conspire against me, plotting to take my life.

But I m trusting You, O Lord, saying, “You are my God!” My future is in Your hands.

Rescue me from those who hunt me down relentlessly. In Your unfailing love, rescue me.” Ps. 31:9,10,13-15

However David found out through his tribulation that deliverance is not only being rescued but, also being restored to Someone. What he looked at as survival became surrender to God’s way. What was a hiding place to him, became a deeper relationship to his Father. He found that His deliverance was God Himself.

I find this so true for me. Instead of finding my refuge in security, a house, a safe zone, a life partner, I realized I can find my Refuge is in no one else but Jesus Christ. Like David, I find, survival becomes surrender to God’s will and fear can change to worship, which is obeying and following Him.

Jesus is rebuilding my tumbled down life, which He tore down, and replacing it with His Presence.

“One thing I ask of the Lord is that I may dwell in the house (presence) of the Lord all the days of my life.” Ps. 27:4

HIS PRESENCE MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE.

Deliverance isn’t found in escaping the hard times, its in knowing WHO holds me through it.

In really knowing Him, in seeing Him with my heart, with the eyes of my soul.

My home isn’t a house or even a husband who fills it. My home is His presence. Its in God, and God alone. Its under His wings, in the secret place near His side.

So deliverance is not the absence of struggles and hard times, but in having peace in the midst of it. Its not the end of the battle, but Jesus Himself with me, in me, over me in the battle. He fights the battle. He is my VICTORY.

Deliverance is not a husband by my side, a solid house, or a secure future.

It is my Jesus.

He is everything.

He is my Life.

He is my Refuge.

He is my Joy.

He is my Deliverance.

This is what I wrote yesterday, December 31, 2025, and I was going to end it here. But this morning, January 1, 2026 this came to me:

Yet in knowing this it doesn’t dispel the loneliness or take away the pain of missing John, as I realized upon waking up this dreary, foggy, chilly New Years morning.

“Why my soul, are you down cast? Why so disturbed within me?”

So we see David had his down times. But when he did this is what he told himself to do:

“Put your hope in God, for I will YET praise Him.” Ps. 43:5

My only hope is in God, He is my Deliverer. No one, nothing else.

He is my Comforter.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of ALL comfort.” 2 Cor. 1:3 NIV

My God is the God of comfort, He has compassion on me, He will comfort me when I seek Him. He is everything I need, but I must seek His face and be aware of His Presence. I need to acknowledge Him, talk to Him, praise Him, Thank Him. Every day. Several times a day.

When things around me fail, when ALL else fails, I need to gaze upon my Jesus. Nothing else just my Jesus.

I need to keep my eyes on Him, bask in His presence, soak in His Glory, know His love.

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever!” 2 Chron. 16:34 NIV

From fear to Freedom,

stronghold to Sanctuary,

hiding place to a Safe Place,

panic to Peace

running to my Rock.