Set Free

Freedom is one of those words that semantics really doesn’t capture.  The actions of those who died for it come close but still fall short.  I’ve been struggling in my calling as of late.  I still am called to ministry, but it’s shaping up to be a different kind of ministry the more I search God out.  I wrote a post yesterday called “help….” and today the verse of the day from Bible Gateway is the following:

Psalm 118:5-6

“In my anguish I cried to the LORD, and he answered by setting me free. The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

What a hope!  Freedom.  Once you even catch a glimpse of freedom, you are inexorably drawn toward acquiring it for yourself fully.  Celtic mythology talks about the white stag as a messenger from the otherworld that if you catch it, will grant you a boon.  Unfortunately, the stag has an amazing ability to also evade capture.

While we often run after this “Stag” called freedom, it’s when we finally give up and cry out to God in our anguish that we are rewarded with the freedom we so ardently seek.

In our moment of deepest distress we are rewarded with the prize we sought.  Maybe those kinds of prayers get answered more frequently only because we can’t run anymore.  It really is beyond our strength.  If we only would have recognized it earlier.

 

Tags: anguish, Christianity, devotional, freedom, Psalm 118:5-6, set free