“Listen to the painful cries of the prisoners! Use your great strength to set free those condemned to die!” (Psalm 79:11, New English Translation)
Prison. It’s not a place we would willingly choose to live. The amenities are dismal and the company undesirable. It’s little wonder numerous prisoners try to escape their confinement, some in quite notable ways. Trickery, tunnels, air vents, helicopters, hacksaws, and even peanut butter have all been used in some unusual escape attempts. Some succeeded, at least for a time, but many who escaped eventually found themselves back where they began. And back to creating their next escape plan.
Mission of the Messiah
Isaiah 61:1 gives an Old Testament prophecy of the coming Messiah. It promises He will bring good news, bandage the brokenhearted, liberate the captive, and open the prison doors for those being held there. This verse was the mission of Jesus. He came to heal us, free us, and give us a new life.
“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound.” (Isaiah 61:1, English Standard Version)
With sin often comes shame, fear, doubt, depression, anger, and other negative emotions. We need freedom from these as well. As long as we allow Satan to control our lives and our emotions, we will never enjoy the complete freedom the Lord extends to us.
“You will open the eyes of the blind. You will free the captives from prison, releasing those who sit in dark dungeons.” (Psalm 42:7, New Living Translation)
Breaking Out
Because of our sinful nature, all of us were once prisoners. All have sinned, so all need deliverance from this dark dungeon of sin and brought into light. There is a plan, a miraculous plan, that allows us to break free from our prison. It involves no tunnels, hacksaws, or other scheme to find freedom.
Some reading this may still be imprisoned, although not with actual walls and bars. They need to “escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will” (II Timothy 2:26, ESV). Each of us has a choice—the captivity of sin or the freedom of salvation through Jesus Christ.
Prayer: Lord, I thank You for the pardon You offered for my sins. Your mission in coming to earth as our Savior was to deliver us from the consequences of our sins and set us free. It is not Your will that any should perish; Your desire is to set us free. You stepped into my place and took the penalty of my sins upon Your own shoulders. Words can never express how much I thank You for this amazing act of love.
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