Promise 9: The Righteous Is Delivered from Trouble!

“The righteous is delivered from trouble, and it comes to the wicked instead” (Proverbs 11:8 NKJV).

Beloved, are you facing trouble right now? If so, I want to encourage you with the Word of God, for our Lord promises that He will deliver you from the trouble you’re facing. And that, my friend, is good news.

The unfortunate truth is that trouble abounds in this life.

Probably like you, sometimes I feel like my life consists of nothing but trouble. Of course, that’s only a feeling, not a fact; my life has tons of blessings in it, and I’m extremely grateful to the Lord for everything He has done.

Nevertheless, trouble sometimes abounds. And in this season, I’m hearing from a lot of our readers that they are in intense times of trouble like never before.

However, beloved, if you’re going through a lot of trouble, you are not alone.

I wish that none of us had any trouble, but such will never happen in this world until after Jesus returns and makes all things new. Jesus Himself told us:

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33 NKJV).

In this world we will have tribulation, or “trouble.” You don’t even have to do anything wrong to have trouble come your way; you will still have trouble even if you are living a perfectly sinless life (which none of us are).

Why does trouble abound in this world, even for the godly?

Trouble abounds because we are living in a sinful, fallen world. And in this sinful world, we see the effects of sin all around us.

“The effects of sin” started happening when Adam and Eve sinned. In the moment when they first sinned, earth ceased to look like Heaven. And it has been degenerating ever since.

That’s why the apostle Paul told us in romans 8 that all creation groans for the revealing of the sons of God. In other words, for the moment when God’s people and His earth will be made perfect again:

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.

For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.

Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body” (Romans 8:18-23 NKJV).

So trouble is an aftereffect of sin, and it won’t go away completely until Jesus comes back and makes all things new.

But you can be delivered from trouble.

It may feel like trouble is chasing after you sometimes, but you can be delivered from trouble. In fact, God’s Word promises that, if you love Jesus and have made Him your Lord and Savior, you WILL be delivered from trouble.

How can I say that? Because if you have made Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior, then God attributes Jesus’ righteousness to your heavenly account. That means He has made you “the righteousness of God in Christ.” As it says in 2 Corinthians 5:21:

“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV).

And since you count as one of “the righteous,” then you have every right to appropriate God’s promises for the righteous for yourself. This includes His promise to deliver the righteous from trouble.

Let’s look again at Proverbs 11:8:

“The righteous is delivered from trouble, and it comes to the wicked instead” (Proverbs 11:8 NKJV).

Beloved, this promise is for you today. God is promising here to deliver you from trouble!

I can tell you for sure that I am claiming this promise for myself and my family. Between my husband, my child, and my son, we are facing multiple, urgent, life-threatening diagnoses from doctors; multiple potential surgeries; hellish levels of stress; and a lot more. These things are in addition to the daily weights that most everybody has, like holding down jobs, managing finances, running a household, parenting, navigating children’s education and homework, serving others in ministry and church, et cetera.

Yes, we have trouble. But I’m praying every day and believing God to deliver us from it. It will take more than one miracle to deliver us from these things, but our God is in the miracle-working business.

And beloved, I want you to know this today:

Our God will work a miracle for you, too.

What do you need from the Lord today?

What trouble do you need Him to deliver you from? For example:

• Do you need Him to supernaturally provide for your financial expenses?
• Do you need Him to heal you or a family member, whether spontaneously or through medical intervention?
• Do you need Him to bring a prodigal child home?
• Do you need Him to save and deliver someone who is spiritually dead?
• Do you need a job, or a better job?

No matter what you need the Lord to do for you, His Word to you today is this:

“If you ask anything in My name, I will do it” (John 14:14 NKJV).

Beloved, God’s Word promises you that the righteous is delivered from trouble.

As long as you have made Jesus your Lord and Savior, this promise applies to you. You are “the righteous.” And no matter what kind of trouble you’re facing today, you can stare that thing down with the sword of God’s Word in your eyes and in your mouth:

“The righteous is delivered from trouble, and it comes to the wicked instead” (Proverbs 11:8 NKJV).

So claim this promise in prayer today. Pour out your heart to our Heavenly Father, He who knows you best and loves you most. And as you pray:

• Point out to Him that you do meet His conditions for receiving this promise–namely, that you have given your life to Jesus, and you have made Him your own personal Lord and Savior.
• Then, point out to Him all the various troubles you are going through right now.
• Tell Him that you receive and believe His Word in Proverbs 11:8. Tell Him that you’re claiming His promise for yourself.
• And ask Him to deliver you from every single troubling circumstance in your life.

If you will ask, He will do it. Remember Matthew 7:7-8:

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8 NKJV).

God’s Word is true; you can take it to the bank. “The righteous is delivered from trouble, and it comes to the wicked instead.” I’m not here to try to curse the wicked with trouble; God is the One who deals with the wicked, and He can do with them what He likes. But for the first half of the verse, you have to believe it and pray it to receive the benefit of it.

So ask God to deliver you from all trouble today.

It may take time to see the full and complete answer to that prayer, but He will answer. God is not a man, that He should lie. His Word is good. And no matter what you are going through, if you will pray and ask Him to do so, He will deliver you from trouble.

Does this promise from Proverbs 11:8 minister to your heart today? If so, leave a comment below!