The Gift of Freedom

Psalm 146:7b “The LORD sets prisoners free….”

[Right from the beginning of our lives we are all imprisoned by sin in the web of Satan, where everyone is ensnared in his sticky strands of lies, fear and violence. Just being born into a broken and twisted world results in quirks and knots in our personalities that bring problems, difficulties, and oppression.

Then our upbringing and family culture with fallen parents, teachers and friends instill further dysfunctional thoughts, feelings, and desires into us. And then there is our culture’s worldview, with its unhealthy internalized values of materialism, selfishness and pride, locking us into destructive feelings, desires and goals.

All these lead us to emotional pitfalls, to accepting false answers to the great human thirst for love and approval, for significance and security, for fulfillment and belonging. These wrong answers then produce fear: fear of man, fear of the future, fear of failure, fear of pain, loss and hurt. Satan uses all of these to oppress, control, and in the end to crush us, killing all he can.

But You, Lord Jesus, have made a way out of this prison of oppression, opening the door to the cell of hopelessness, letting in the light of your goodness. You have called us to step out of the darkness of fear into the light of your Love, into the rich and warm relationship with you where our fears can be washed away in the river of joy. You call us to live in your forgiveness and goodness, your grace and glory. You don’t want to crush us, but to transform us and make us into a new creature.

The goodness of your heart, the love of your eyes, the goodness of your will all draw on to deeper surrender and trust so that we can fulfill the purpose of our lives:  honoring you. Help us to do that better today.