Well, there you have it: the Christian life in one verse. Oh, it's not all there is to know, of course; otherwise, there would not be 31,172 other verses. But I do see here a wonderfully concise outline of the provision for life that God has made for his people.
SALVATION
God has delivered our souls from death. This physical body that in most cases serves us well, will, nevertheless, one day die. Only the return of Jesus Christ can alter this reality. But we who have experienced regeneration by the Spirit of God have been delivered from the devastating prospect of the "second death," as defined in Revelation 20:6-15, where the souls of those who have rejected Jesus Christ will suffer eternal separation from God in hell. No wonder Paul calls mortal death merely a "sting" in comparison; and even that has been removed (1 Cor. 15:55). No grave wherein lies a Believer can ever boast of victory, not since the Great Deliverer broke its chains forever (Eph. 4:8-10).
CONSOLATION
David goes on to say that God had delivered his eyes from tears. What a consolation to know that He who is mindful of all our tears (Psl.56:8) is careful to let us know they have no place in His heaven (Rev. 21:4). Tears are only a part of this life. Even the Man, Christ Jesus, experienced them (Jno. 11:35). But when our sorrow spills from our eyes and courses down our cheeks, the "God of all comfort" (2 Cor. 1:3) draws us to Himself, as a mother would a hurting child (Isa. 66:13), and wipes our eyes with His "heavenly hanky." Second Corinthians 1:5 tells us, our consolations abound in Christ, the Great Deliverer.
PRESERVATION
Finally (and perhaps most importantly), I can be sure that God will "deliver my feet from falling." We may stumble; but as children of grace, we can never fall from His grace. When all is said and done, we will stand (1 Pet. 5:12). When you and I start to go wobbly, those "everlasting arms" will catch us (Deut. 33:27). Jude addresses God as "him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy" (v.24). This preservation will stand good until the day we reach heaven. That should cover it. When it comes to preserving, whether it is His Word or His people, God can deliver!
Do you need deliverance today? Do you need to know that your soul has been delivered from the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of Light? Or maybe your tears soak your pillow (Psl. 6:6) till you feel, like Jeremiah, that your eyes are a veritable "fountain of tears" (Jer. 9:1). Have you disappointed yourself to the point that you feel you have sunk too deeply to ever stand tall again? Thank God, there is a Great Deliverer, who is mighty in salvation, ever-present in consolation, and unfailing in preservation. It is God. Whatever your need, you can call upon Jesus Christ to save your soul and give you eternal life (Rom. 10:13); you can experience by faith the comfort that is rightfully yours as His darling child; or you can claim your birthright as a child of God, along with the forgiveness He has promised, and stand in the presence of the saints.
I can say with David, "The Lord is...my deliverer" (Psl. 18:2) Can you?
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