Stand & Deliver

No doubt, many will equate the term Stand & Deliver with books you have read or old movies you have seen where the highwayman (robber) stood in front of the oncoming stagecoach, caused it to come to a halt and then, with pistols drawn, called for those in the coach to stand and deliver, meaning stop and give me your valuables.

Whilst this is the 17th century origin of the term, I believe that there is another, and far more positive way of rendering it. For example, we can look to young men like David in the Old Testament who took his stand against the giant Goliath (when no-one else would) and certainly delivered on his promise to take him down and gain victory for Israel.

Queen Esther took a very courageous stand and saw Israel delivered from the planned annihilation of God’s people.

And, the most important stand of all was that taken by Jesus who, by going to the cross, delivered salvation to the world. In a sense, He stood before the raging evil of Satan and with divine weapons drawn cried out to the enemy, “Stand and deliver to me those you have held in bondage.”

In Ephesians 6, Paul clearly portrays the stand that Christians must take. In the space of four verses (11-14) , he encourages us to STAND – stand against the devil’s schemes, stand your ground, after you have done everything to stand and, stand firm. While he doesn’t use the term “Stand and Deliver”, the inference can be drawn that, if we take our stand in this warfare, we will see much delivered to the glory of God. People we pray for will be delivered from the vice-like grip of sin, others will be delivered from sickness to health and, if the stand taken by Christ followers of the past is anything to go by (and I believe it is), nations will be delivered from the grip of the devil through an outpouring of the Spirit of God and subsequent spiritual revival.

As God’s people, we have the authority to take our stand and demand that the enemy stand and deliver, or stop and give me your valuables; the souls of those he has held captive to sin.

Don & Julie
With you on the journey