Psalm 146:5-10
5 Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord their God,
6 who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them;
who keeps faith forever;
7 who executes justice for the oppressed;
who gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets the prisoners free;
8 the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
the Lord loves the righteous.
9 The Lord watches over the strangers;
he upholds the orphan and the widow,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
10 The Lord will reign forever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations.
Praise the Lord!
The Lord sets the prisoners free…
The other day, I told Dave how wonderful it is that the people around me have all improved their attitude. He smiled and said, “no dear, you changed”.
It’s so easy to become imprisoned in our own “stuff”. We get worried and upset about things that are genuinely disturbing and that leads us into a downward spiral of frustration that ends with us being worried and upset about everything. The next step from there is usually catastrophizing in our thoughts and mistrusting everyone around us. It’s an easy trap to fall into, especially in an environment where the media is grooming us into dissatisfaction and anger all the time.
Don’t worry, this story ends well. Even though we are definitely going to spiral into worry and frustration every now and then, we don’t have to stay there. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, we have been set free from death and from all the death-dealing things in this world. We are already citizens of the Kingdom of God even while we live in this world, with all its challenges and struggles. So, when you find yourself slipping into that downward spiral, remind yourself that God has already set the prisoners free.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, our lives are hidden in yours. What can this world do to us? AMEN