Need Deliverance?
- Dr. Michael Stallings
- Apr 8
- 3 min read
Here's a great reason to have hope in Christ today!
Luke 2
...it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. 3 So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. 4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed [a]wife, who was with child. 6 So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a [b]manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
About 2030 years ago in a quiet Bethlehem stable, a profound "double delivery" took place that changed the architecture of the universe. When Luke 2 speaks of Mary being delivered, it uses the language of liberation. In the Hebrew mindset, distress is a metzar (מֵצַר)—a narrow, cramped, "tight" spot. Pregnancy was the ultimate narrow place; birth was the yasha (יָשַׁע)—the delivery into a wide, open space.
Deliverance is what God does!
This wasn't just a medical event; it was a cosmic kenosis (κένωσις). God "emptied" (c.f. Phil 2:5-11) Himself, transitioning from the infinite expanse of heaven into the tightest, most humble constriction of a human womb.
The Mother was delivered from the burden of pregnancy.
The Child was delivered into the world.
The Savior was delivered for our sake.
Jesus left the "narrow" safety of the womb to enter our "narrow" world of brokenness, all so He could lead us out into the "broad place" of His grace. He became small and bound so that we could be set free.
Are you between a rock and a hard spot right now?
Are you in a bind? Do you feel bound by expectations, squeezed by financial pressure, or constricted by a situation you can’t escape?
Whether it’s the "narrow place" of anxiety or the "tight spot" of a broken relationship, remember the motion of that first Christmas.
You are in the right spot. There is a Deliverer who knows the constriction of your struggle. He specializes in entering the tightest, most inescapable places of human existence—from the womb to the grave—just to break us free.
By the way: yasha (יָשַׁע) is the root of Yeshua (Jesus). It literally means to be "wide" or "roomy." He breaks our chains!
This is one of those verses that has a profound place in my own life:
Indeed, He [is luring] you from the jaws of distress
to a spacious and unconfined place.
Your table was spread with choice food. ~Job 36.16
The Lord showed that verse to me when He delivered me from a situation with no escape.
If you feel squeezed by life, look to the One who was delivered into a narrow manger to deliver you into eternal freedom. Your "tight spot" is exactly where the Deliverer does His best work.
Jesus came to "set the captives free," by the Truth.
Do you know Jesus yet?
Pray and ask Him to deliver you!
email: mike@trainandtell.org
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