Anthony Pritchard
Well-Known Member
The God Who Delivers: Seeing Him
It is not merely our physical eyes that must be lifted.
Nor is it only the eyes of the soul, the realm of human affection and desire.
It is the eyes of the spirit looking Godward, seeking a better country, a better inheritance, a better hope, and a better promise.
The believer is a pilgrim. Scripture repeatedly presents the saints as those who look beyond this present world toward something promised, something prepared, something eternal.
Hebrews 11:13-16
"These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city."
Hebrews 11:24-27
Philippians 3:20-21
"For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself."
1 Peter 2:11
Hebrews 13:14
"For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come."
A man can spend his life proving that Egypt is bondage. A man can spend his life proving that Pharaoh is a tyrant. A man can spend his life proving that the taskmasters are cruel.
And all of that can be true.
But eventually he must turn and point to Canaan. He must speak of God's truth. He must speak of freedom found only in Him. He must speak of an inheritance that endures.
He must speak of the God who delivers.
Everything wrong, every disappointment, every discouragement, every error, and every drift begins when the eyes of our affection become fixed upon something less than Christ.
The real problem is misdirected affection.
When Israel looked back toward Egypt, they forgot God. When Peter looked at the waves, he forgot Christ.
When churches become occupied with ceremonies, systems, traditions, institutions, personalities, denominations, experiences, controversies, fears, or even the battle against error itself, they begin to drift because their gaze has moved from Christ to something else.
The moment the storm became more real to Peter than Christ, he began to sink.
The same thing happens spiritually. When ceremonies become more real than Christ. When traditions become more real than Christ. When controversies become more real than Christ. When fears become more real than Christ. When anything becomes more real to us than Christ, something precious has been lost.
The soul begins to sink.
Yet the believer was made for something higher.
Not merely from God.
Not merely by God.
But for God.
Every false system, every spiritual drift, every misplaced affection ultimately offers the soul something less than God Himself.
The human spirit was fashioned to seek Him, to know Him, to walk with Him, to delight in Him, to behold Him, and to rest in Him.
This is the longing described throughout Scripture.
Psalm 42:1-2
Psalm 63:1-8
Psalm 73:25-26
Psalm 84:1-4
Psalm 84:10-12
Psalm 27:4
Isaiah 26:8-9
Hebrews 12:1-2
Colossians 3:1-4
For the glory of God to become as tangible as possible while we yet walk in mortal flesh.
There is within every child of God a homesickness for a place never seen and yet already loved. A longing for the One whom, having not seen, we nevertheless love.
1 Peter 1:8-9
"Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls."
The eyes of the spirit look beyond the wilderness.
They look toward the One who promised.
This is the heart of The God Who Delivers. Not merely that God delivers us from something. But that God delivers us unto Himself.
The final destination is not Canaan. The final destination is not even heaven. The final destination is God Himself.
And what is this deliverance toward which all of Scripture points?
What is this hope that causes the pilgrim to lift his eyes beyond Egypt, beyond the wilderness, and beyond the disappointments of this present world?
It is so great salvation.
Hebrews 2:3
John 1:12-13
John 3:3-8
Romans 5:1-2
2 Corinthians 5:17
Ephesians 2:1-10
Ephesians 2:18
Ephesians 3:12
Colossians 1:12-14
Titus 3:3-7
Hebrews 4:14-16
Hebrews 7:25
Hebrews 10:19-22
1 Peter 1:23
This is not merely rescue from something. It is reconciliation unto Someone.
It is not merely deliverance from bondage. It is restoration unto God.
For the highest blessing of salvation is not escape from judgment.
The God who delivers.
Revelation 21:1-7
Revelation 21:22-23
Revelation 22:1-5
Revelation 22:3-4
1 John 3:1-3
If these thoughts have stirred within you a desire to know how a sinner may be reconciled to God through Christ, I have addressed that subject in greater detail in my article, How to Be Born Again.
How To Be Born Again
~Tony
© A.K. Pritchard, 2026
It is not merely our physical eyes that must be lifted.
Nor is it only the eyes of the soul, the realm of human affection and desire.
It is the eyes of the spirit looking Godward, seeking a better country, a better inheritance, a better hope, and a better promise.
The believer is a pilgrim. Scripture repeatedly presents the saints as those who look beyond this present world toward something promised, something prepared, something eternal.
Hebrews 11:13-16
"These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city."
Hebrews 11:24-27
Philippians 3:20-21
"For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself."
1 Peter 2:11
Hebrews 13:14
"For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come."
A man can spend his life proving that Egypt is bondage. A man can spend his life proving that Pharaoh is a tyrant. A man can spend his life proving that the taskmasters are cruel.
And all of that can be true.
But eventually he must turn and point to Canaan. He must speak of God's truth. He must speak of freedom found only in Him. He must speak of an inheritance that endures.
He must speak of the God who delivers.
Everything wrong, every disappointment, every discouragement, every error, and every drift begins when the eyes of our affection become fixed upon something less than Christ.
The real problem is misdirected affection.
When Israel looked back toward Egypt, they forgot God. When Peter looked at the waves, he forgot Christ.
When churches become occupied with ceremonies, systems, traditions, institutions, personalities, denominations, experiences, controversies, fears, or even the battle against error itself, they begin to drift because their gaze has moved from Christ to something else.
The moment the storm became more real to Peter than Christ, he began to sink.
The same thing happens spiritually. When ceremonies become more real than Christ. When traditions become more real than Christ. When controversies become more real than Christ. When fears become more real than Christ. When anything becomes more real to us than Christ, something precious has been lost.
The soul begins to sink.
Yet the believer was made for something higher.
Not merely from God.
Not merely by God.
But for God.
Every false system, every spiritual drift, every misplaced affection ultimately offers the soul something less than God Himself.
The human spirit was fashioned to seek Him, to know Him, to walk with Him, to delight in Him, to behold Him, and to rest in Him.
This is the longing described throughout Scripture.
Psalm 42:1-2
Psalm 63:1-8
Psalm 73:25-26
Psalm 84:1-4
Psalm 84:10-12
Psalm 27:4
Isaiah 26:8-9
Hebrews 12:1-2
Colossians 3:1-4
- To fully sense, to feel, to achingly long for the God who delivers.
- To feel that desperate need to be united with the One who created us, and for whom we were created.
- To love Him and enjoy loving fellowship with Him.
- To yearn and hope as though we were almost touching His face.
- To catch, however faintly, the fragrance of glory.
- To anticipate the songs of heaven.
- To worship.
- To awaken holy longing.
For the glory of God to become as tangible as possible while we yet walk in mortal flesh.
There is within every child of God a homesickness for a place never seen and yet already loved. A longing for the One whom, having not seen, we nevertheless love.
1 Peter 1:8-9
"Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls."
The eyes of the spirit look beyond the wilderness.
- Beyond the disappointments of this world.
- Beyond the failures of men.
- Beyond the debates.
- Beyond the controversies.
They look toward the One who promised.
- Toward the One who redeemed.
- Toward the One who prepares a place.
- Toward the One for whom we were created.
This is the heart of The God Who Delivers. Not merely that God delivers us from something. But that God delivers us unto Himself.
The final destination is not Canaan. The final destination is not even heaven. The final destination is God Himself.
And what is this deliverance toward which all of Scripture points?
What is this hope that causes the pilgrim to lift his eyes beyond Egypt, beyond the wilderness, and beyond the disappointments of this present world?
It is so great salvation.
Hebrews 2:3
- To be born again.
- To be born anew.
- To be born from above.
- To be regenerated by the Spirit of God.
- To be forgiven.
- To be cleansed.
- To be justified.
- To be reconciled unto God.
- To be adopted as children of God.
- To be translated into the kingdom of His dear Son.
- To have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
- To know that our sins have been put away by the sacrifice of Christ.
- To know that we have a High Priest who ever liveth to make intercession for us.
- To know that we have direct access unto the throne of grace.
- To know that nothing stands between the redeemed soul and the God who redeemed it save the veil of mortal flesh that shall one day be removed.
John 1:12-13
John 3:3-8
Romans 5:1-2
2 Corinthians 5:17
Ephesians 2:1-10
Ephesians 2:18
Ephesians 3:12
Colossians 1:12-14
Titus 3:3-7
Hebrews 4:14-16
Hebrews 7:25
Hebrews 10:19-22
1 Peter 1:23
This is not merely rescue from something. It is reconciliation unto Someone.
It is not merely deliverance from bondage. It is restoration unto God.
For the highest blessing of salvation is not escape from judgment.
- It is not the inheritance.
- It is not even heaven itself.
- It is God Himself.
The God who delivers.
Revelation 21:1-7
Revelation 21:22-23
Revelation 22:1-5
Revelation 22:3-4
1 John 3:1-3
If these thoughts have stirred within you a desire to know how a sinner may be reconciled to God through Christ, I have addressed that subject in greater detail in my article, How to Be Born Again.
How To Be Born Again
~Tony
© A.K. Pritchard, 2026
