Prisoners’ Release – Psalm 107:13

Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble; He saved them out of their distresses.

Those who spurn the counsel of the Most High God sentence themselves to a cold, dank prison.  They run from the Light to dwell in spiritual darkness and live under the shadow of death.  Their hardened hearts fume against the Lord, and they live behind steel bars, refusing to accept the freedom offered by our Lord.

The Father has granted free will to each person, so these prisoners have the right to remain throughout eternity in their self-imposed exile from beauty and light.  Yet, they need not, for Jesus came to set them free.  He calls out, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”[1]  His light is dawning across the nations, and He offers a complete pardon to those who believe on His name, welcome Him as Lord, and turn from sin.  If they will cry out to Jesus, even from the deepest pit of ungodliness, He will call them by name to lead them out of distress as He flings open the doors of their torture chambers.[2]  He will send His word on lightning bolts to heal them, and He will replace their filthy garments with robes of pure white wool, as He warms their freezing bones by the fire of truth and salvation.[3]  He will carry them across the dungeon’s moat and through treacherous lands into a safe haven where they will inherit a place of honor among kings and princes.[4]

This is what Jesus did for us when we invited Him to be our Lord and Savior.  He rescued us from bondage, paid our debt, and crowned us as royalty.  Though we were lost, Jesus found us,[5] and having received so gracious a salvation, we should sing in gratitude for a love that shattered the gates of our unbelief.  Though our prodigal hearts lavishly spent our fortunes and we deserved to remain in debtors’ prison, our Father refused to let us go.  Rather, He sent Jesus to bring us back to Himself, and He rejoiced at our homecoming.

Never forget that you were a condemned prisoner, sentenced to an eternity apart from God, before Jesus released you.  Therefore, do not take His faithfulness to you lightly.  Rejoice in your freedom, and give thanks to the One who granted it.  Praise Him for cutting your chains and opening the doors to your prison cell,[6] and out of the love of others He has implanted in your heart, earnestly pray for those who have yet to step into the freedom He offers.

[1] Matthew 4:17

[2] Isaiah 45:1-3

[3] Psalm 147:15-18

[4] 1 Samuel 2:8

[5] Luke 15:24

[6] Isaiah 61:1