2Peter 2:9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished.

There is great comfort in the verse. We have a God of all knowledge, there is no lack of skill or strength in his infinite arm. He knows how to do whatever is necessary in order to deliver his elect people from the trials and temptations of life. If lions' mouths need to be shut, He is able to close them. If sea, must be parted so that Israel can escape, then the waters divide at his command. There is no deficiency in the divine ability.

We can make the definite statement that God knows how to deliver, but we cannot make such a certain statement that He will deliver from a given trial. He is able to do it, but for reasons known only to Himself, He does not deliver us from every difficulty of this life. The young Hebrew men acknowledged, “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O King, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.” (Dan. 3:17) “If it be so,” if it was according to God's will, He was able to deliver them from the fiery furnace, and He most assuredly would deliver them out of the King's hand, if only by carrying them to heaven beyond the reach of His power. “But if not,” if it was not God's will to deliver them out of the furnace, still they would not worship the image of the king. They did not know what God would do, but they knew what He could do.

A similar expression is found in the New Testament: And, behold, there came a leper and worshiped him, saying, Lord, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. (Matt.8:2) Notice that the question is not God's ability, but his will. He had no doubt that the Lord could make him clean, but he did not know what the Lord's purpose in the matter would be. Paul gives us a list of both types of situations In Hebrews Chapter 11. Beginning with verse 33. First, he lists those who through faith, “escaped the edge of the sword” and “turned to flight the armies of the aliens,” etc. Those are followed, however, by others who “had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonments: they were stoned, they were sawn asunder, they were tempted, were slain with the sword, etc. Some were delivered and some were not, but they all died in faith.

We do not know the mind of God, whether He will or will not deliver us from any particular trial, but we must believe that He can. We know of the wisdom and power of God, and they should be constantly before our minds as we face the burdens of life. “God knows how to deliver the godly.”