“Then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials.”
– 2 Peter 2:9
I’m just going to pause right there. The verse actually continues going on, but I want to lead us to meditate on this phrase and to pray according to this phrase. Before this, in 2 Peter 2, Peter is writing, again, carrying along by the Holy Spirit about all that God is able to do. “If God is able to do this, if God has done that, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials.”
Isn’t that a good Word? When you’re walking through trials, to know that the Lord, your Lord, your God, your Father in Heaven, He knows. There’s never a situation where He doesn’t know how to rescue you from that trial. And you might say, “Well, okay, what good is it if He knows, but He’s not able to do something, or He doesn’t do something? But we know from God’s Word, not only does He know, but He is able. He is absolutely able to rescue the godly from trials, and ultimately, He will rescue the godly from trials.
This Verse Gives Us Total Confidence in Christ
And that gives you and me total confidence when we walk through trials, to know, to believe that our God is one, sovereign over those trials, and two, has promised to bring us through those trials. Now we don’t know how that’s going to look, or when that’s going to play out. We don’t know a variety of things, but we do know this. The Lord knows the trials we are in, and the Lord knows how to rescue us from them. And the Lord ultimately will do just that in His timing, in ways that are good for us and glorifying to Him.
2 Peter 2:9 Encourages Us with the Word
And I just want to encourage you with that Word today, to pray over you, especially if you’re walking through trials. God, I pray for every single person listening to this right now who is walking through trials and testing of different types. God, I pray that they would know and trust in your rescuing knowledge and your rescuing power and your rescuing promises. Oh God, may they know and trust in you in all these ways, in your rescuing knowledge, that you know how to rescue them from trials, and your rescuing power, that you have power to rescue them from trials, and your rescuing promise that you will ultimately bring them through this.
2 Peter 2:9 Leads Us to Pray for Afghans
God, I pray that over every single person walking through trials, temptations right now listening to this. And God, we pray this together over our brothers and sisters in Afghanistan, that they would know you’re rescuing knowledge and power and promises and presence with them in the middle of what they’re walking through. And God, we pray that you would help them to point others to you. God, we pray for your mercy over millions in Afghanistan who are living in trials. There are millions living in fear of violence and war and terrorism, who long for hope. God, we pray that they would find hope in you.
Praying that God Would Bless His Children
We pray that you would bless your children who are there, your church there. Lord, we pray for the spread of hope in the gospel. We pray for our brothers and sisters and pastors and church leaders. God, help them to point others to the only one who is able to rescue from sin. Jesus is the only one who is able ultimately to rescue from suffering. Jesus Christ is the only one who is able to rescue from the trial of death. We love you, Jesus. We pray for the spread of your name and your fame in Afghanistan.
And we pray for the spread of your name and your fame in our lives and all around us. As the Lord who has walked through sin, and as the Lord who has taken our sin upon yourself on cross, has died and risen from the grave. We pray that your name would be exalted through us. As the Lord who knows how to rescue the godly those who belong to you, who are your children, and who walk with you and trust in you from trials. We pray this according to 2 Peter 2:9, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
