Some sat in darkness, in utter darkness, prisoners suffering in iron chains… Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He saved them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness, and broke away their chains. Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for mankind, for He breaks down gates of bronze and cuts through bars of iron. — Psalm 107:10, Psalm 107:13-16
Addictions and habits that we just can’t seem to shake can feel like prisons where we are chained to the very thing we want freedom from. We may even hate the thing we are doing, much like Paul described in Romans 7:18-19.
Despite the fact that we may feel like we are in a prison with no way out, we have a promise from God that He can cut through the very bars of iron that seem so strong and powerful in our lives! This passage from Psalm 107 tells us that if we cry out to the Lord in our times of trouble, He will come and rescue us out of a place of distress simply because He loves us. This passage of Scripture also reminds us that we don’t need to get cleaned up before we go to God. We can be at the lowest point of our lives, at a place where we have tried hundreds of times to get free on our own and failed, and all we have to do is cry out to Him.
In His perfect timing, God Almighty will come in with His strength and break our every chain.
He is able to open the door to any prison we find ourselves in and then free us to walk in the plans and purposes He has for us.
Lord, I ask You to free me from _________. I have tried and failed, because I relied on my own strength. I thank You that in You I can know freedom and the fullness of joy. Lord, I choose to follow You and walk the path You have for my life. Thank You, Jesus, for setting me free! Amen!
Excerpted with permission from Devotions for a Healthier You by Katie Farrell, copyright Thomas Nelson.
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Your Turn
Do you hate the thing you’re doing and yet are still doing it? We all can raise a hand agreeing “yes” to that because there are so many areas of our lives that need chain-breaking by Jesus! Today, bring those issues to Him. Let’s ask Him to free us from the bondage that has taken too much of our lives already. ~ Laurie McClure, Faith.Full