The Chain-Breaker

 “Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom and broke away their chains.” 

Psalm 107:13-14 (NIV)

          It’s not a sight you see every day – people in identical orange short-sleeved coveralls shuffling along the sidewalk – but you see it in my town. They go from the jail to the courthouse and then back to the jail periodically.

     Their pace is painfully slow. Chains and shackles keep them from moving any faster.  Their heads are down as they struggle to make sure they are not stepping on the ankles of the person in front and at the same time not getting stepped on by the person walking behind them.

     Watching this procession, you cannot help but wonder why each one has been arrested and detained. But you also find yourself wondering how it must feel to take every step chained and shackled.  No freedom to dance or jump or even turn.  But rather, every movement held in place by metal links locked together to restrain the person wearing them.

     And then I look at my life. No orange coveralls. Nothing on my arms and legs restricting me. And yet at times I too can find myself in chains. The shortlist? Fear, anger, envy, loneliness, depression, greed, infidelity, jealousy, resentment, addictions, worry, unforgiveness. 

   A normal part of life, you say. You don’t know how unfair the election was, you don’t understand that the award, the promotion, the recognition should have been mine, that the comments about me were horrible, that I cannot control my addictions! Need I go on? 

     We have all experienced at least one of those chains. They can rob us of our ability to function daily because they steal our joy and, if we are not careful, consume our every thought and action to the point that our very faith and trust in the Lord is crippled!

     There is no way to break those chains on our own. Psalm 107:13-14 says “Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom and broke away their chains.”

     Are chains holding you tightly and robbing you of joy and hope and peace? Every single one can be broken to pieces by giving them to Jesus, the only true Chain-breaker!

     I encourage you to talk with a prayer warrior friend, a counselor, or a minister and share what chains are wrapped around your heart and holding you hostage. Then go before the Lord and ask Him to free you from each one and replace them with mercy and forgiveness and love. Today, this very minute, trust the Chain-breaker to do what He says He will do.

     Father, there are chains in my life that are keeping me in darkness. Please take them from my heart and replace them with you. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

 

R.A.P. it up

 Reflect

• What “chains” in your life are keeping you from experiencing joy, peace, and mercy from the Lord?

• Have you tried to remove them from your life or accepted them as normal?

Apply

•   Journal every “chain” in your life – past and present – that is holding you prisoner.

•   Thank the Lord for breaking each chain from your heart. 

Power                           

• Psalm 107:13-14 (NIV) “Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom and broke away their chains.”

•  Psalm 116:16 (NIV) “O Lord, truly I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your maidservant; you have freed me from my chains.”

• Matthew 4:24 (NIV) “News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, and those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them.”

I Told God No

  “But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’ Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?” 

Romans 9:20-21 (NIV) 

         “Please talk to Mom, please! She wants to divorce Daddy!” the two young children begged as I hugged them. I knew there had been problems and my heart ached for them. They saw what was happening to their family and wanted someone – anyone – to persuade their mother not to go through with her plans.

         I gave them a half-hearted “I’ll try” but inside I found myself thinking that there was no way their mother would listen to me. I only knew her through our children being involved in the same activities, and I felt she would not like me talking to her about such a private situation. 

    And that’s what I told the Lord when I felt His nudging over the next two weeks to go to her and share how much He loved her. “I’m glad to pray for her but talk to her? No way, Lord!” I  told Him as I sat in His presence. Did I say “Your will, Lord?” No, instead I told Him MY reasons for not talking to her. “She will be so angry,” I told the Lord.  He did not share my concern.“ I don’t want people to think I’m a busybody,” I whined but God was not impressed.

         Finally, I took a deep breath, prayed for wisdom, called her, and we met. It went about as well as I thought it would. I listened quietly as she told me the marriage was over and it would all be “fine.” I gently shared God’s love for her and her family and how divorce can cause irreparable damage, but she said it would only make them stronger. My mind raced as to what I could do to help her see the damage that could happen. “God hates divorce,” I said. “He says that in His Word.” Her next comment floored me. 

“Well, if God hates divorce so much, then He can stop me if He wants to and He hasn’t done that, has He.” I felt my heart breaking. I paused and prayed. “To me, that is like saying ‘if God doesn’t want me to kill someone, He will keep me from getting a gun or buying the bullets,” I pleaded. “We already know what He says about marriage and divorce. It’s up to us to do everything we can to work out our differences. What about going to a counselor?”

She shook her head. “Here’s the deal: I want to be happy and I’m just not happy. Period. So I’m done with this marriage and I don’t want to hear any more about it from you or anyone else.” That was it – the beginning of the end of a marriage.  There was no adultery. No abuse. Nothing, she said. She just wasn’t happy any longer.

I managed to drive away before the tears began and then my anger boiled over – toward God! “See, I TOLD you she wouldn’t listen!” I informed Him. “I only made everything worse, not better!” I continued. “How was THAT supposed to help? She has already decided to get a divorce, so why have me go talk to her? And besides, I didn’t say anything the right way!” And with that declaration of my earthly wisdom to the Creator of the Universe, I pouted all the way home.

Have you ever been there with me? The Lord nudges you to speak to someone and you absolutely do not want to do it! You can think of a thousand reasons why His idea is not a good idea and maybe, like me, you believe He doesn’t realize how hard it will be on you to do as He asks, so you list every argument against what He says. And you tell Him no. 

Romans 9:20-21 clearly states my problem: I am the clay (human),  the one being formed by the potter, ie the Creator God. And I am trying in my sinful way (because it is sin) to tell God what I do and do not want to do. My reasoning? Again, it comes down to sin. I think I am wiser than God! 

Instead of trusting God’s will for me and for the woman He wanted me to talk with, I whined. Rather than being obedient to what He clearly wanted me to do, I was disobedient and focused on myself and my feelings rather than on the woman He loved every bit as much as He loved me. Instead of bowing before Him and acknowledging His right as King to instruct me to carry out His plan, I argued - yes argued - with God. Thankfully, because He is a gracious and merciful Father, He forgave me when I came before Him in repentance.  

How I wish everything had turned out differently for this precious family. She divorced her husband and moved with her children to another state. I never saw them again but I continued to lift her up to the Lord, praying that her heart would be softened as she sought His face. 

 I also thanked the Lord for not giving up on me and my disobedience to Him and His nudging. The Creator of the Universe did not owe me an explanation or rationale for what He wanted me to do. He only needed me to be obedient and trust Him. I pray the next time He asks me to be willing, I will immediately say “Here I am. Send me.” 

Father, thank you for your forgiveness and mercy when I am disobedient. May I always be willing to trust you. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . . 

Reflect

• Has the Lord nudged you to do something and you would not do it?

• How did that situation turn out?

Apply

• Whenever the Lord speaks to your heart, stop and pray “Father, your will in this situation is my will. Show me what to do/say.”

• Pray over your attitude before you speak or act. Ask a prayer warrior to pray over you as well, for wisdom in listening and speaking in love.”

Power

• Romans 9:20-21 (NIV) “But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’ Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?”

• Proverbs 3:5-7 (NIV) “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.”

• I Corinthians 1:25 (NIV) “For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.”