The God Who Rescues - Lessons from the Road with BJ Emerson

There was a time I wanted to cut down my family tree. It was broken and without hope. But then something happened to change the trajectory of my family for generations. You see, God had a better idea, and he turned a string of crimes into a string of miracles. And now, we're rooted. What does it mean to be rooted in the gospel of life through Jesus? Rooted in community? And rooted not only in the Word of God, but anchored in the heart of God? Let's find out what it means to be rooted. Hey, Victoria's Living Family. I'm BJ Emerson. If we haven't met, I always like to say, I haven't walked in your shoes, but I've walked in your children's shoes. You see, my father spent most of my teenage years behind bars, but the choices he made in prison didn't just change his life, they changed the future for our entire family. And I'm here to tell you that you can do it too. Today, we're taking a ride of a different kind. If you've seen my motorcycle videos, yes, that was me doing the riding. This time, I had a friend take her horse out so we can enjoy a ride of a different kind. Now, I didn't know what I was going to talk about in this take a ride video until my friend told me about this here horse. This is Bowie. Bowie was rescued from a situation that likely would have had him at a slaughterhouse. But more on Bowie and his rescue story here in a minute. A couple of things before we start. Here at Victoria's Living, we love seeing your comments on these videos.

It blesses us to hear from you about what you found meaningful and helpful. So please share your questions and feedback either on your tablet or through the mail to the address at the end of this video. There's also a study guide that goes along with this video. Download it and gather with some others and use it to facilitate a Bible study together. It has great questions and application for discussion. Victoria's Living Ministries exists to deliver hope behind bars. Your story isn't over. And we're here to support you with Bible studies, magazines, and other resources. So stay tuned at the end of this video for info on how to get them. Now, let's take a ride as we also dive into God's Word. As I mentioned, Bowie here was bound for the slaughterhouse. He was found at a kill pen sale, which is basically a horse market where horses that are at risk of being shipped to slaughterhouses outside the country are listed for sale to the public or rescue organizations. For whatever reason, he was deemed broken or useless until someone stepped in to rescue him. Being only three or four years old, the horse was purchased and trained a bit before coming to my friend. She says, when we got him, he was pretty skittish and wouldn't let you put a bridle on his head. But now he's easy to handle and not spooked and trusts humans again. You can see in the video that Bowie looks to be very functional and a beautiful horse thriving in his new environment. Now, as Bowie takes us around, I'd like to draw some application out of this story because I think it is a story of many of us.

As well, this story reminds me of many we see in Scripture. My own story is a rescue story. Rescue is part of the gospel that I responded to. Jesus said, I have come that you might have life and have it more abundantly, and I didn't have that. Now, there are many elements of the good news of Jesus and his kingdom that people respond to. But today, I want to talk about the God who rescues. We see it in Scripture, and we see it in the lives of so many that have found themselves trapped by circumstances, isolated, or weighed down by a brokenness of the past. Psalm 40, 1 through 3, says this, This is one of my favorite scriptures. You see, I was incapable of saving myself, and neither are you. But, I have some good news. You see, God is always looking for someone to restore. That's my first observation here of this scripture. God is always looking for someone to restore. Let's look at that order of things in this first verse. First, there are two parts. involved. And as it turns out, God was already present there. He didn't come later. He was already there. There was separation in our relationship due to the posture of our hearts. So think about the posture of this person's heart as they're down in the pit. It says, I waited patiently for the Lord. So the person in the pit stopped clamoring around, complaining and boasting. They stopped and they waited. You see, the minute our hearts are in a place where we can receive what God has for us, He turns to us. Something is unlocked when we put our pride aside, when we stop struggling and striving to make it on our own. But many times we're the ones that got ourselves there. He turned to me.

It says all he had to do is turn because, as I said, he was already present and available. God is available to you and maybe He's the one waiting on you. He heard my cry. He's not only the God who sees you, but the God who hears you. And you can share your heart with Him. While we're grasping the walls of the pit and the circumstances we are in, God was actually there the whole time waiting for us because as soon as we stopped and waited, His deliverance was available. I wonder how many times the posture of our hearts, our pride, our selfishness, or stubbornness has kept us in a bad situation. The God is always looking for someone He can restore. But there's another party going about. In 1 Peter 5 8 says to be alert because the devil walks around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. The God is going about looking for those He can restore. In verse 2 it says, He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire. Just like our horse friend Bowie here was in a situation where he couldn't save himself, we can't rescue ourselves from these pits of life that we get ourselves into or that we find ourselves in. While God was working on my father in prison, He was actively pursuing me during a difficult time. In my early 20s, I found myself desperate and alone in a broken marriage. Hurting and without hope, I was at the bottom of a pit clamoring around, unable to rescue myself. The painful situation grew to a point where I finally gave up and surrendered to God and told Him if He can take this mess of a life that I made, He could have it all. And that started an incredible journey with Jesus over 34 years ago. The second thing I've learned about this God who rescues is that He is also the God who restores. Back to verse 2, it says, He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. God doesn't just take us out of a bad situation into another potentially bad situation. He puts our feet on solid ground. We are in a new place with a firm foundation. Our legs might be tired from struggling in that miry clay for so long, and it might feel disorienting having a reliable and safe place to rest. It is here that we gain strength from abiding in Him with this rock as our foundation. It reminds me of Matthew 7 24 through 27 where Jesus uses the illustration of two builders. Therefore,

if anyone hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, yet it did not fall because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash. Luke records a similar passage emphasizing that the wise builder dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. So God pulls us out of the miry clay, placing our feet on the rock of His Word, keeping us standing firm when the storms hit. Let's be wise builders. Let's stay firmly rooted in the living and active Word of God. But He doesn't stop there. There's more after we are rescued and restored, and we see that in verse 3. The third thing I see in this passage is that God rescues for a purpose. God doesn't just pull you out of the pit. He grounds your feet on a rock, establishes your steps, and gives you a new song, a new purpose and identity. Verse 3 says, He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God, many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in Him." So let's think about this. If we have new songs in our mouths, what was the old song? Well, ungratefulness, complaining, strife, anger, bitterness, the list goes on and on. These are the old songs I used to sing. They were also the old songs my father sang before he met Jesus in prison. But I saw a new song come out of his mouth after his encounter with God in that federal penitentiary. Those old songs faded away and were replaced with things like gratefulness, joy, and hope. God had truly put a new song in his mouth and I could see it. I took notice because it was powerful. One of my favorite stories is about when I was at the bottom, broken and hurting, and my father had gotten out of prison and started serving in prison ministry, which he did for more than three decades. But I was in a barracks room, hurting because of this broken relationship I was in. But more than that, I was a broken person. I got my hands on a Bible, which I knew nothing about. I called my father crying and I said, I have a Bible and I need hope. What page is it on? What page do I turn to? And he talked to me and walked me through some passages that encouraged me. You see, I knew my father had access to a power and a hope that I did not have and I needed it badly. I've been reading God's word ever since and have found great hope because

it's on every page. No matter what pit you are currently in or what past is chasing you, God's desire is to rescue so he can restore your purpose and give you a brand new start. Many will see and fear and will trust in the Lord. At some point, God is going to take his rescued and restored vessel, that's you and me, and release us to expand his kingdom in the earth. You see, restored people restore other people. Others will come to trust in Jesus because of your testimony, this new song and identity that you have in Christ. This is how he works. He rescues, he restores, and he releases. He has work for you to do to pull down heaven and the lives of others through his power and his character that he is going to develop in you. Finally, let me say a word about the spirit of adoption. This horse was purchased, adopted, healed, then released into a new place where it could thrive. Adoption means a change of identity and trajectory. The spirit of adoption contrasts with the spirit of fear or orphanhood. It declares that you are no longer defined by a brokenness, generational dysfunction, or the failures of an earthly father. Instead, you are placed directly into the family of God as a full heir. You are no longer an orphan. You see, God is in the rescue business. He hears the cry, steps into our mess, and pulls us onto solid ground, and he's willing to get dirty to do it. You see, Jesus stepped into our world, became a human to redeem mankind. He was willing to come down to us. Clamoring about in the mud and mire is exhausting. Perhaps you can relate. Perhaps you are ready for some rest. If this video has found you at the end of yourself, stuck in that miry clay, I have good news for you. When you're ready to stop clamoring around and change your heart posture and wait on the Lord, he's right there. He has been all along. God wants to restore you and put you on a new foundation. His word is that solid rock. Maybe today is the day that you tell God for the first time that you need him, that you're ready to put down your pride. Forgiveness has been extended to you through the finished work of Jesus on the cross. You see, Jesus was God's rescue plan for the earth, and redemption is available through what he did in his love for you. You don't have to earn it. As it says in Psalm 40, it's the opposite. You stop clamoring and cry out to the God who created you for a purpose, and in Christ you can walk in the newness of life that he offers freely. When I came to the end of myself is really where I started living, but it was only through the new life that Jesus provided as I followed him, stayed rooted in his word, and found connection in community. Let me pray for you. God, I thank you for my brothers and sisters listening today

who are open to your word and the work that you are doing. their lives. Thank you for this horse that we had as an illustration of rescue and restoration. Do that in the lives of those listening today who might be lost, afraid, broken, or hurting. For someone who might be in pain in a desperate and hopeless situation, that is where you love to look for those who have turned their hearts to you. The only one who can rescue. Be with them today and put their feet on a new foundation and restore them for your use. Thank you that we have a new identity and purpose in you. In Jesus name, Amen. Don't forget to share your comments on this video or write to us at the address at the end of this video. Go and watch all the other great videos on the Victorious Living channel. God bless you and see you next time. Thank you for watching our broadcast. Are you an incarcerated brother or sister who needs encouragement? Write to us at Victorious Living Correspondents P.O. Box 2751 Greenville, North Carolina 27836. To view Victorious Living Magazine in its entirety, please have your chaplain contact us at 352-478-2098 or email us through our website at vlmag.org. We are happy to provide our Victorious Living Magazine free of charge, in bulk, with or without staples.