Jehovah Mephalti, Our Deliverer-God

“The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer…” (Psalm 18:2a NIV)
 
The entire world has been rocked by the novel coronavirus or COVID-19. The world’s greatest powers, America and China, rendered helpless by the pandemic, are desperately looking for solutions—better test kits, more ventilators, more hospital beds, anything.  The world is in dire need of deliverance. The world needs a deliverer! 
 
The familiar story of Daniel in the lion’s den in Daniel 6 tells the tale exceptionally well of a good and godly man who served the king and the land to which he’d been forcibly exiled. Indeed, Daniel so distinguished himself in his role that his envious peers sought to sabotage him by bringing false charges against him. As a result, Daniel found himself a condemned man, unfairly consigned to a gruesome death. 
 
Daniel needed deliverance!  He needed deliverance firstly from evil men—jealous, conniving competitors conspiring to take him down by bearing false witness against him (Daniel 6:5). Secondly, he needed deliverance from laws designed to deter worship of the true God (Daniel 6:6-9). And thirdly, he needed deliverance from the lions (Daniel 6:16-17).  
 
God rescues and delivers! He is our Deliverer-God! 
 
We can’t know God as our deliverer, we cannot truly encounter and experience Him as our Deliverer-God unless and until we have something, or someone, for Him to deliver us from! Daniel wouldn’t have known God as his deliverer were it not for his experience with his accusers and the lions. And so, despite knowing that the king’s edict disallowed prayer to any god or human being other than King Darius himself, Daniel responded to his predicament by doing the very thing that would worsen it—he got down on his knees and prayed (Daniel 6:10)! He gave thanks to God. He acknowledged God for who He is. He petitioned the Lord. He trusted in his Deliverer-God.    
 
God delivers, but in His time and way! 
 
Secondly, we know how the story turned out.  God saved Daniel from his accusers and the lions. But bear in mind that it wasn’t until the following morning that he was released from the den (Daniel 6:19-23). Which meant he had to spend the whole night in a stinking den with feral beasts that had miraculous, if only temporarily, lost their appetite. 
 
God seems to have a habit of pushing us to our limits, doesn’t He?! He led the Israelites in the wilderness until they are hemmed in and squeezed between the Red Sea and Pharaoh’s army bearing down on them, before He parted the waters. He “procrastinated” until Sarah was well past menopause before He enabled her to have the promised Isaac. Jesus waited until Lazarus was undoubtedly dead for a few days before He moseyed over to Bethany—and then miraculously raised His friend from the dead. 
 
So why does God make things humanly impossible to solve? So that, when He finally delivers, He gets all the glory! As the psalmist says, “Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory” (Psalm 115:1 NIV). At times, God may strategically delay our deliverance so that the maximum glory is reserved for Him and Him alone! 
 
God delivers us in order to fulfill His larger purposes!
 
Finally, we witness another incredible development. Convinced of the reality of Daniel’s God, Darius issued this proclamation to all nations and peoples in his far-flung empire:
 
“I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. For he is the living God and he endures forever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end. He rescues and he saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions” (Daniel 6:26-27 NIV).
 
These are amazing words from a pagan king whose eyes have been opened to the power and sovereignty of Almighty God! Through God, Daniel succeeded in witnessing to a pagan boss, by his godly conduct and testimony, as well as by signs and wonders. At the end of it all, it’s never really about us, is it? In God’s master plan, deliverance isn’t just about ensuring your and my wellbeing. Sure, He loves and cares for us. But God has way bigger fish to fry!
 
Jehovah Mephalti, our Deliverer-God! 
 
We are familiar with names of God like Jehovah-Jireh (“The Lord will Provide”), Jehovah-Shalom (“The Lord Our Peace”), and Jehovah-Rophe (“The Lord Who Heals”). 
 
But has anyone heard of Jehovah-Mephalti? The name is snuck in Psalm 18:2: “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer (‘Mephalti’).” In the midst of this global pandemic, are we waiting for God’s deliverance for ourselves, loved ones, or folks for whom we’re interceding? Can we trust Him enough to do it in His time and way? And even if God’s responses don’t quite pan out the way we’d expected, can we trust that He has something way bigger at stake than what we’re able to comprehend at this time? Can we trust Him that all things will indeed work for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purposes (Romans 8:28)?
 
O LORD, we affirm that You are indeed Jehovah-Mephalti who rescues and delivers us. You are our Rock, our Fortress, our Deliverer. You have delivered us time and again in the past, and You will deliver once again. And should things run contrary to our expectations, like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who insisted they would hold true to You even if they were to perish in the fiery furnace (Daniel 3:18), we too will stay true to You, O God, because we believe all things work for the good of those who love You, who’re called according to Your purpose. In the name of Jesus, our Deliverer-God, Amen!

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