Yahweh Mephalti – The Lord is my Deliverer

This is part two of Yahweh Mephalti – The Lord is my Deliverer following on from Part One

You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance. (Psalm 32:7)

Yahweh Mephalti! Now that is one of the names of God with which most of us may be less familiar, but it denotes an attribute that is central to Who He is and what He does: the One who delivers us. And how very much in need of deliverance the world is in these days when, whichever way we turn our gaze, we see violent and extremist influences and forces at work, and people in great need of help and rescue – and above all of knowing the saving power of the Lord Jesus.

From one end to the other, the Scriptures reveal the precious truth that our God is One who rescues. Deliverance is bound into the very name and saving ministry of Yeshua, the Lord Jesus Christ. He has redeemed us from the very real peril of eternal death, as well as from the many external challenges and internal bondages and blockages that we all face in the course of our pilgrimage.

It is a great joy to release this new and uplifting presentation of prayers and reflections around this significant theme – which I recorded with Elizabeth Hume (from our church) with the help, as always, of our wonderful sound engineer. These are truly ‘Songs of Deliverance,’ proclaiming the power of the One who has raised up so many men and women of faith throughout the course of human history, and who has enabled us to revel in Him even as He reveals more of His ways.

May these simple meditations play their part in making us all the more eager to call out to Him both on our own account, and on behalf of those who have no voice. Indeed, may they make us all the more willing for Him to thrust us out as those who will be counted among the multitude of those who have made their home in Christ, and who are used to bring deliverance and rescue to others in His name.

For the same strong hand and powerful arm with which Yahweh Mephalti Lord brought His people first out of Egypt and later back from Babylon, is the same lifegiving power that He used to raise His Son from the dead, and which is at work in us who believe. (Deut. 7:19; John 5:26; Eph. 1:19-20) Let’s add our voice to the great chorus and declaration of His power that is going out into the world and up into the heavenly places as churches in every corner of our planet sound forth songs of deliverance, reaffirming the Lordship of Jesus over all other powers.

Come in Your Glory, Lord

May the Lord bless you as you listen.

We are so grateful Lord, that deliverance comes from You. You delivered Jacob from Esau and later came down to deliver Your people from the oppression of the Egyptians and from the king of Assyria. You rescued the nation from strong and powerful enemies.

You delivered David from the hand of Goliath the Philistine, and Paul prayed that he would be delivered from the hands of evil men and we pray now deliver many from the hand of the wicked, and from those who plot against them. Right around the world now, send forth Your rescuing touch, Lord, to save and help Your people.

Jesus, You taught us to pray ‘deliver us from evil.’ Stretch out Your hand to untangle those who find themselves up against strongholds of evil, or caught in nets set to entrap them.

You save those who trust in You, those who take refuge in You from their foes, and You say, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble and I will deliver You.” You know how to rescue the godly from their trials, and because we delight ourselves. in You, You will honour and rescue us even for Your own name’s sake.

You who are the author of life, let Your breath of life come, we pray, into all the situations that we lift before You now, for the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost.

There is no other that fighteth for us, but only thou, O God. No other name by which we may be saved.

Jesus, You told us that we’d always have the poor with us. And there truly is no end to the needs of the world. Thank You for all who are rescuers today in society. Praise You for paramedics and first -aiders, lifeguards and lifeboat crews. Fire, police and ambulance teams as they attend crashes, serious conflagrations, and horrendous outbreaks of violence. May they be bearers and bringers of strength and hope as well as restorers of peace and health to broken bodies.

Make they make the best use of all their skills and training and then add Your heavenly extra power we pray.

We pray for street pastors as they minister with Your love and care to those who set out to enjoy themselves but end up distressed and horribly vulnerable.

We pray too for those who are, as it were, inadvertent rescuers who chance upon situations which often turn out to have Your hand on them. And then, as each one returns to their own home, we pray that You will help them to debrief in whatever way is best. Be with each and every one. Guard their hearts against secondary traumatization because of the extremely demanding situations they have to deal with.

May they display depths of compassion as well as good practice in their caring and this from a sharing in Your heart. May their very presence be a blessing and the steps they take lead to great ameliorations in all directions.

Send emergency grace to help those who have suffered the extreme disconnect of witnessing this. their homes invaded and swamped by flood or fire, with a thousand and one details to attend to, and nerves that are afraid and hearts that are afraid. Grant them recovery from each shock and the resilience to keep calling out to You even when everything feels as though it’s caving in and crumbling.

You do not save by sword or spear and You are not limited in saving by many or by few. When the heart feels that there is no way ahead, and other people are saying that there is none to deliver, rise up and show that You are mighty to save.

(Scripture references include: Psalm 3:8; Jonah 2:9; Psalm 68:20, Genesis 32:11, Exodus 3:8; 14:30, 2 Kings 20:6; 2 Chronicles 32:22, Neh. 9:27, 2 Samuel 22:18; Psalm 18:17, 1 Sam. 17:37, Psalm 71:4; 140:1; 2 Thessalonians 3:2, Matthew 6:13, Psalm 31:30, Psalm 31:4, Phil. 1:19, 2 Tim. 4:18; cf 2 Samuel 22:4; Psalm 18:3, Matthew 1:20, Galatians 1:4, cf Psalm 56:13; 80:13; 116:8, Jer. 39:18, Psalm 17:7, Psalm 50:15, 2 Peter 2:9, Acts 2:21; Romans 10:13, Psalm 91:14-15; 18:19, 106:8, Psalm 72:12; 116:6; Jeremiah 20:13, 2 Samuel 22:28, Amos 4:11; Zechariah 3:2, Exodus 2:17, 19, Genesis 37:21,47:25, Luke 19:10, Daniel 3:17; 2 Corinthians 1:10, 1 Samuel 14:6; 17:47)

Arise, O God, on behalf of the afflicted. In the morning hear our voice as we call to You, as we lay our requests before You and wait expectantly.

By Your great love, we come into Your house, bow down in reverence towards Your holy temple, and ask You to arise and administer this mighty, life-changing power right into the heart of the situations that we bring You now.

By Your great mercy Lord, most of us have not woken up this day to face direct physical threats to our homes and families. You have done so much to bring us to the place we are now in, and to make all this possible.

We worship and adore You, and thank You Lord, that You have not left us to labour or to journey on our own, but have bound us to each other in the bundle of the living to share the precious life that You have given us.

Enlarge our hearts now Lord, to more nearly resemble Yours, so that we can pray in the power of Your spirit. Balance the flow in our hearts of how we divide our time, between time spent worshiping You, and about our own pursuits, so that we can bring the needs of those who are really hurting to You, and share Your concern for them.

We lift to You those who have not enjoyed the benefit of a good night’s sleep, who are unspeakably weary, hungry and thirsty, displaced from home and families and all that makes for happiness and sound minds.

We bring You the wounded, sick and shocked, who lack the basic knowledge of a good night’s sleep, and the fundamentals of life in Christ to sustain them. Deliver them from delusions and from putting other things before You.

We pray for those who feel at the very end of their tether, who are seriously overstretched, overworked and under resourced. Lead them, Lord, in Your righteousness. Spread Your canopy of protection over them.

Arise, Lord, deliver them! Release grace from day to day.

We exult and praise Your name, Lord, for in perfect faithfulness You have done such wondrous things. Things planned long ago which humble our pride, but serve to make ready a people prepared for You. Therefore, strong peoples will honour You, and cities of ruthless nations will revere You.

You will be a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat. The breath of the ruthless is like a storm driving against a wall. But You will silence the uproar of the nations and the war chants of the ruthless.

We grieve for the many who will not turn to You, or receive Your gracious offer, foolishly preferring the broad and easy way, despite it leading only to destruction through the gates of hell. For straight is the gate that leads to life, and hard and difficult the narrow way You summon us to walk along.

The proud and self -sufficient who refuse Your offer of an eternal inheritance will have no place at Your banqueting table, no share in the final victory of Your kingdom of light, and it will be on Your mountain, Lord, that You will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine, with the very best of meats and the finest of wines. And it will be on that mountain that You will sovereignly destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, and swallow up death forever.

You will walk round about us and wipe away the tears from every person’s face, and especially from those who have suffered most, as You take away the shame and insults Your people have endured. (Rev. 7:17; 21:4)

In that day we will say, “Surely, this is our God. We trusted in You, and You saved us. This is the Lord. This is the Lord and we trust in You. We will rejoice and be glad in Your salvation. (From Isaiah 25)

Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with Him for a thousand years.

In the fourth chapter of Job, we see a man of God who’s going through really hard times hearing a whisper from a spirit telling him that he couldn’t possibly hope to be right with God.

How sickly subtle are the silent whispers that drip from the accuser’s tongue. How staunch and how strong must be our defence to lift the shield of faith and let the Word of God.

As we cry out to the Lord in our trouble and experience Your saving hand delivering us from our distress, still the storm to a whisper and hush the waves of the sea and let all grow calm again as You guide us to the longed-for haven.

Oh Lord be gracious to us, we long for You! Be our strength every morning, our salvation in times of pressure and distress. Yes, Lord, walking in the way of Your laws, we wait for You. Your name and Your renown are the desire of our hearts. Our souls yearn for You during the long night hours. In the morning, our spirit longs for You.

All that we have accomplished is the result of what You have done for us, Lord, and Your name alone do we honour. You have gained glory for Yourself by extending Your mercy to us, for when our hearts finally awoke to our real distress, we recognise how far it was from all being well with our soul. And that all our strenuous efforts to impress and succeed have been doing nothing more than giving birth to wind.

Give us the courage not to turn away or to drown our sorrows in some other way, but to whisper a prayer to the one who ever ready to intervene and save. For this fresh touch we pray, O great Restoring God, You whose due is like the due of the morning, and whose spirit gives the sure and certain promise that You will raise. from the dead all who look to You.

Will You not keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast because they trust in You, the one true and living God? Will You not dwell with those whose hearts are humble and contrite and who mourn over their sins?

And now, what else have we to do but to seek Your face, O Lord, You who seek to save the lost? What else but to fill our hearts with eager anticipation for Your coming, with instant prayer for those whose hearts are not yet prepared to come face to face with You, or to be ready for the great and glorious days that lie beyond?

Your love Lord reaches to the heavens, Your faithfulness to the skies. Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, Your justice like the great deep, Lord. You preserve both people and animals; Your unfailing love is priceless!

So many take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. They feast on the abundance of Your house, and You give them drink from Your river of delights. For with You is the fountain of life, and in Your light we see light.

Continue Your love to those who know You, Your righteousness to the upright in heart. May the foot of the proud not come against me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.

Lord Jesus, You warned those who felt secure in themselves that hearts would tremble at the tossing of the sea and the roaring of the waves, because all that can be shaken is being shaken in the lead-up to the great moment of Your return.

. . . for harvests will fail, and idle merriment and debauched revelry will come to an end before Your spirit is poured out from on high, before the desert becomes a fertile field, and all flesh recognize Your leading.

Behold, I will pour out my spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on My servants, both men and women, I will pour out my spirit in those days.

I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth; blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord, and everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the Lord has said, even among the survivors whom the Lord calls. (Joel 2:28-32)

This is the time when Your justice will prevail and Your people will live forever in undisturbed dwelling places, for peace will be the fruit of righteousness, and quietness and confidence will take root and be established. When Your judgments come upon the earth we quake and fear, but let them teach us righteousness. and pay more attention to Your majesty.

For even now Your hand is lifted up though they do not see it, let them recognize Your zeal for Your people and how You long to establish a way forward for them. And in that blessed place, the lion will lie down with the lamb, and the serpent won’t bite. For creation itself will be restored from its bondage to decay.

How right Job was when he said that those at ease have contempt for misfortune. Lord, we acknowledge our lack of compassion before You for those in need, and we pray to share more of Your heart, O Restorer of broken walls.

You desire that our heart should be like well-watered gardens, springs whose waters never fail. But there is stuff that You need to do in our heart, Lord, to make it possible for us to share Yours.

We remember how a hand touched Daniel and raised him up, causing him to stand, catching and strengthening him, and all that came from that. We remember how You stretched out Your hand and touched Jeremiah’s mouth, and how You laid Your right hand on John at the start of the Revelation.

Jesus, friend of sinners and mender of broken hearts, we pray today for those who are lonely and sick, and who receive but little outside support and stimulus, and few if any visits. Jesus be the visitor.

Visit those whose relationships have broken asunder, whose hearts are raw and whose prospects are bleak. Release the grief in their hearts, the tension in their muscles, the blockages in their hearts and minds, and draw as many as will let You do so fully under the shadow of Your wing.

Lay Your hand afresh on us now, Lord. Even as Jehoshaphat brought many people back to the Lord, we’re asking You to restore those who’ve wandered from the truth, because it’s Your word that restores the soul. And we pray that we may play our part by praying for You to restore those who are far from Your presence.

Your goodness and compassion never falter nor fail, so come by whatever guys You choose to adopt and bring the reality of Your goodness close to lonely souls this day, we pray. For these weary hearts, Lord, we pray, where the slightest thing requires a great effort, draw people with cords of kindness.
Where hearts are clashing, Lord, and out of alignment. So be a shelter from the wind, a refuge from the storm, a stream of water in the desert, and the shade of a great rock in a thirsty land.

Oh Lord, open the eyes of those who are blind; open the ears of those who are not used to listening to things that actually matter most for life and eternity. Part the veils of deception. Put to flight the fears and the reluctance that hold You at bay, so that people can be all that You would have them be, and noble plans may be embraced and noble deeds be performed.

Restore the confused to their rightful minds and the wasteful to the fear of the Lord. Let them recall moments when Your presence has passed close by, or those times when they caught the whisper of a voice from heaven speaking truth to their inmost being. May they pay close attention to that light that shone in a dark place, so that in Your great mercy they may embrace the new birth You are offering them, and receive the living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. May the Morning star may rise in their hearts!

(Scriptures referenced include: Is. 58:11-12, Daniel 10:10, 18; 8:18, Jeremiah 1:9, Revelation 1:17, 2 Chron. 19:4, Psalm 19:7, Galatians 6:1; James 5:19, Isaiah 32:8, 2 Peter 1:18-19)

Redeem the circumstances of our daily lives, we pray, and daily encourage those whom You have entrusted us to serve, so that when we come at last to our homeland, we do so bearing sheaves of fruit for You.

May You be satisfied with seeing Your likeness in our hearts, and may Your glory accompany us to the very end of our days and beyond, even as the cause of Christ advances this day right around the world.

And so, at the end of each day, may we lie down in peace and sleep, for You alone, O Lord, make us dwell in safety, because You, Lord, sustain us.

As we pray for the mission of each church and movement that You’ve raised up, and that’s truly reaching out for You, we pray that You will guard them from the shame of sordid squabbles and senseless splits. Guide them through and beyond each setback.

Let’s pray now for all who are feeling mixed up and muddled and alienated from church, from those who are holding back because of hurtful things that they have seen or heard.

Find ways to minister to them, Lord. It’s ever Your nature to seek to restore and redeem. Keep wooing and reaching out to their hearts, and work in such a way as to bring them to the point where they are willing to forgive those who have made life so hard for them, and are free to experience the blessings of life together in community again.

We pray for all who are shocked and shaken by items in the news, and by the state of the world. Renew the focus of our hearts and our flow of prayer, that it may be neither the swathed in sentimentality, nor swayed by prejudice, but founded in the spirit of truth and focused on the Prince of Peace.

Answer when we call to You, O righteous God. Grant relief from our distress and hear our prayers, and let Your troops be willing for the day of battle. As the commander of Adonai’s army, deploy Your forces as best may be.
Let the army of Young people whom You are raising up serve with vision and compassion.

Keep their mission vision clear, and their hearts free from all the distractions the enemy may want to send, and from key relationships from turning sour. Let these Young men and women be as arrows in Your hand, pioneers and spearheads for Your kingdom, and true soul shapers for You.

For those in mature middle years, to administer and oversee many aspects of the work of Your church with clarity and humility.

And for those more advanced in years, that they may pray prayers that You can answer and speak wisdom that lightens burdens, and imparts so much of what it means to wait on You.

And because deliverance comes from You, we ask that Your blessing rests on these Your people as they serve Your kingdom purposes, all ages Lord working together, whether in frontline communications or strategically placed further back.

We call out to You because You will answer from Your holy mountain.