“Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;” 2 Corinthians 1:10 KJV
“How long did it take?” That’s the million-dollar question. It’s the question that I was asked recently after doing a Facebook live session where I shared my journey to wholeness. The story of how God took me from a place of anger and sorrow after receiving my infant son’s rare genetic diagnosis, to a place of joy, peace and wholeness.
Isn’t that always the question? How long will it take to lose the weight, or experience financial freedom, or feel peace in my relationship? In the case of replacing my sorrow for joy and my fear for courage, my answer is that God began working in me immediately and yet He is still working.
The moment that I opened my mouth to say, “God, please help me!” He rushed in. I see that now in hindsight. He gently and lovingly put the right people in my path and the right doors began to open so that I could follow Him towards wholeness. Each week, month and year I was becoming more and more whole. But it wasn’t an instant “ah-ha” moment, where all the hurt, disappointment and hopelessness fell away.
If you feel discouraged, grief-stricken, angry or helpless, I can testify that the moment you tell God those raw and honest feelings, He will rush in to help. I can also testify that He will continually deliver you. The Bible says that we should renew our minds daily—not because His love doesn’t stay, but because new things happen daily. Although I knew God was helping me, strengthening me, comforting me and leading me, I still got thrown off at every new fork in the road.
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My post today is for those of you who may be saying, “How long will (fill in the blank with the type of deliverance you need) take?” My answer is both now and forever. He will rush in instantly, and yet you will always be renewing your mind and your confidence in His ability to rush in. We read the story of the Israelites who had seen God’s miraculous provision, yet constantly turned away from Him, and often don’t realize how much we have in common with them.
These twenty years later, I am still thrown off by a new symptom, delay or challenge, but it certainly takes me less time to recover. I have so many examples of deliverance to look back on that I can usually rebound and take my rightful posture and place again. I am now quicker to hit my knees rather than the internet. I’ve learned the true power of praise, and so I use it as a first line of defense rather than last desperate plea. These tools I have learned over time, yet they were always available to me in an instant.
Follow Melanie Gomez at https://redefinespecial.com and on Facebook.
