Jesus Saves, our Part is to be Rescued
Praise be to the Lord , who has not let us be torn by their teeth. We have escaped like a bird from the fowler’s snare; the snare has been broken, and we have escaped. Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. Psalm 124:1–8 NIV
One thing about getting rescued, is that it is passive by definition. To be rescued is to have someone or something else do the work. If I rescue myself, I win, or I beat my enemy. If I am rescued, something else had to intervene and come to my rescue.
The only criteria for joining an AA meeting is to be there. You earn your membership by coming, and step one is to admit you are an alcoholic. That humility is deep in their mindset, and you’ll see it if you stop in to any AA meeting anywhere. They are some of the most open and welcoming people you’ll ever meet. That comes out of them admitting that they needed a rescue.
Remembering that we’ve been rescued doesn’t come naturally. Remembering that there was a snare, that we were caught in it, and that we were released forever is part of what Paul means when he says “But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” Hebrews 3:13 Remembering can be hard if we focus on the snare, and the way we felt when we were caught.
But we don’t remind each other of the snare and our desperation, we remind each other of the savior, of the rescue, and the new land we live in with our Savior. We remind each other of the glorious throne and all evil and sin defeated and vanquished forever. We remind each other that despite all of our plans and 12 step programs, our help has a Name, and He is the Maker of heaven and earth.
Notice that it doesn’t say that the snare was opened so we could escape. When Jesus gave the ultimate and final payment for sin, the snare of sin was broken. It doesn’t work any more. All that is left to be done with that snare is to be tossed into the trash.
Think about the word “Saved” today and ponder what it means to “be saved.”
Leave behind judging people for what they are doing and look at them for what Jesus has done for them. That might be all it takes for them to believe it themselves.