Zwazo

Returning from Haiti years ago, one of my daughters found a little surprise in our cellar - a visitor. I have no idea how this little creature got into our house, but there he was, a little bird. He was just walking around, feeling rather lost and confused, I'm sure. I have no idea how long he was in there, but my immediate inclination was to set him free. So, I opened the cellar door, and within a few minutes he found his way back into the great outdoors; back to freedom.

As those purchased by the blood of the Lamb, we were meant to fly, to be free, unrestrained and soaring through the skies. We were not meant to be held down, trapped in snares of our own making. We were created to thrive in our God assigned purpose. Yet there are things, one thing especially, that entraps and ensnares us, tying us down and keeping us from flying free.

Hebrews 12:1 calls this thing, "the sin that so easily entangles." ¹ That's what sin does; it entangles, it ties down. To be direct, sin kills. It's the reason Jesus hung on a cross, it's the reason there is death, sickness, and murder in our world. Sin brings with it a heavy payment, an exacting and demanding weight that never sets free and always weighs down. Sin keeps us from flying.

Sin wages a war against our very souls: our emotions and thoughts. It traps us like the poor bird that was trapped in my cellar. It promises pleasure but delivers suffering. Like a sneaky fowler, it ensnares us to devour us. Yet we have hope in a Deliverer,

"For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler ..." ²

God is full of mercy; He is a faithful friend and an able deliverer. Jesus welcomes the sinner and promises that He will in no way cast out the one who comes to Him. ³ We tend to wander into traps. Our souls grow wearied by our own indulgences and choices. Yet He restores our soul! The Shepherd restores our soul. ⁴

And we should never forget, (Lord, help us to remember), that we are free. Our sins - past, present, and future - have all been forgiven by the completely sufficient sacrifice of Jesus. The prison door has been swung wide open. All we need to do is walk out, out of the dark mustiness and into the light and wide-open spaces of our purchased freedom.

The bird in my cellar knew it didn't belong there, and once that cellar door was opened, it knew where it needed to be. And so it is with us as children of God. Our freedom has been purchased at a great price, and we never truly rest until we rest in that freedom. He is calling you into that freedom, into His rest.

References

¹ Hebrews 12:1 - Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,

² Psalm 91:3 - Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence.

³ John 6:37 - All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.

⁴ Psalm 23:3 - He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.