Captors Do Not Take It Well – January 27, 2022

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.
Isaiah 61:1

Captors Do Not Take It Well

When I was a kid, I had a long discussion with my friend about what we should ask for if we ever found a magic lamp with a genie in it. We talked about asking for wealth, world peace, or whales to be protected from pollution. If I remember the conversation correctly, we settled on asking for the devil to be converted to being a follower of God, figuring that many other problems in the world would be solved by that.

But the devil will not repent. He will not be converted. Our wish was really rather foolish.

As we grow older, we realize the folly of our youth, and we see how often we should have thought, said, or done something else. An honest reckoning of our lives can easily lead us to be brokenhearted as we realize the opportunities, we have often missed opportunities and the lack of love we have often showed.

Jesus was sent to bind up the brokenhearted. He proclaimed freedom for the captives. He won the release of prisoners from the darkness.

Sin, death, and the devil try to hold us captive, but Jesus sets us free. Our enemies can rage all they want. Jesus overthrows them for our good.

Prayer:
Let me see the freedom I have in you, dear Lord Jesus. Amen.