S137P11 – Pslams of promise: lasting freedom starting now
Psa. 146:7b-9
The LORD sets the prisoners free; the LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous. The LORD watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
The years I spent living without Jesus as my Savior were marked with some very clear patterns. General happiness would wax and wane, but joy was elusive. Whenever I found something that brought me some contentment, it would be overshadowed by the gray parts of life. The best way I can describe what I felt all those years is trapped. I felt stuck in a life that I did not completely understand and often did not want. As I searched for people and possessions and achievements to make me feel like life was worth something, I realized the root of my unhappiness. I just wanted to be free. As spiritually ignorant as I was, I still knew that I was not free in that life.
We are born in a trap, and that trap is called sin. We emerge from the womb in bondage from day one. It takes no effort, no steps, no plan to bind us to spiritual death. Many will remain ignorant of our present state and never pursue being free of it. Others will feel as I once felt but will try to find their freedom in that which simply keeps them bound. Their efforts will get them nowhere because we cannot free ourselves. God does what only He can do because we cannot do it no matter how we try. God shows us what the world actually is like, and He gives us a way out from under that oppression. He opens the cell doors, never to be closed again. Freedom is available for all who seek it, but it comes only through him.
A common question from the world to the Church is whether Jesus actually is the only way. We know the answer, but that answer will anger many. They do not want the freedom that can be obtained only by submitting to the one Lord and the one way by which freedom comes. They will see this singular answer itself as bondage, as a stripping of their right to choose. They will trade a chance at real freedom for the counterfeit they have now. If we only humble ourselves and submit to the author and perfecter of our faith, we can be free of this world not only once it passes away but even as we live in it. Father, thank You for the freedom You give us, and make free those we love who remain bound in this world.