Rescue

“See, God has come to save me. I will trust in him and not be afraid. The Lord God is my strength and my song; he has given me victory.” Isaiah 12:2

I recently watched a rescue video of a deer that got himself stuck in the middle of a frozen lake. The helpless deer was lying down with his legs tucked under him while his rescuer slowly pushed him across the ice to safety. The deer didn’t seem to be afraid. I thought about how the deer, a wild animal, not accustomed to contact with humans, had to trust the man who was attempting to save him. As he neared the edge of the lake, the deer jumped into action and scampered off into the woods. The man had saved him. 

The Bible says that God has come to save us. But like the deer on the ice, we have to trust him. To trust means to rely on the character, ability, or strength, of someone or something. As human beings, we tend to rely on our own character, ability, or strength, but the Bible says that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. We think if we are good enough or do enough good things, we will not be denied entrance into heaven at the end of our days. But that is not what the Bible teaches.

Even the best of us have no righteousness in ourselves. God does not base our admittance into His kingdom on our righteousness but on His. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God took it upon Himself to pay the penalty required. And we, like the deer stuck in the middle of the frozen lake, depend on His character, His ability, and His strength to gently push us to safety.