Rescue

Have you ever thought about how many times God has rescued you, even when you disobeyed His wishes or ran from Him? In Genesis 19, we see the story of Lot and his daughters unfold. Two angels came to visit him and warn him and his family to leave the city because Sodom and Gomorrah would soon be destroyed. In one crucial moment, Lot hesitated. Maybe he was scared. Maybe he didn't trust the angels. All we know is that he hesitated. Yet God still rescued him.

"When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the Lord was merciful to them." -Genesis 19:6

It's impossible to count on even two hands the number of times God has rescued me, even when I didn't trust Him, even when I was afraid. For example, many of us have a hard time trusting God in our finances. We wait to tithe until we feel financially stable, but that's not what God wants. He wants us to trust Him in the pit of things, when we have nothing left to give. I was in this situation once, waiting until my next paycheck to tithe, even though I hadn't given with my last paycheck (making up for the last paycheck and this one). I went out to dinner with some friends, choosing to buy myself a nice dinner instead of giving my money to the Church. Little did I know, God was planning on revealing Himself to me that night-- a good friend of mine paid for my dinner. I learned my lesson that night. It hit me that God still provides, even when we trust Him the least. He rescues us in order to show that He is faithful and merciful and good. He is kind and loving, and above all else, He is strong, even when we deserve His love the least. These are the moments He reveals His power to us. It's not always in the big moments where we're terrified and really have to lean into Him; it can also be in these small acts of kindness that we are humbled by His presence and mercy in our lives.

"But in your great mercy you did not put an end to them or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful God." --Nehemiah 9:31

**Shout out to Kelly McNamara** :)