Free at Last!

From Lions
Daniel 5:1-6:28

"God rescues and saves people and does mighty miracles in heaven and on earth. He is the one who saved Daniel from the power of the lions." (Daniel 6:27)

Daniel Chapter 6- I can almost see my cousins and friends and I crawling around in the front of the sanctuary with golden yarn manes as we performed a little musical about this familiar story. Like our flame-resistant friends from Chapter 4, Daniel was caught in the most dangerous act of "praying to a God or human except [the king]" (6:7).

Now, a dark lion-infested cave with a rock blocking the entrance is not exactly 5 star accommodations, and I know I would've been shaking in my sandals... as it really takes far a less for me to get a little skittish. But, God, God that He is, "sent his angel to close the lions' mouths. They [did] not hurt [him], because [he was] innocent" (6:22). God saw the persecution of his servant Daniel and freed him from punishment for his faithfulness to God. Lord, help me to be as faithful as Daniel, always serving You no matter the consequences, because through You I have freedom from my sins.

From Egypt
Psalm 136:10-26

"He remembered us when we were in trouble. His love continues forever. He freed us from our enemies. His love continues forever." (Psalm 136:23-24)

The Psalmist is remembering how God saved His people and brought them out of Egypt- parting the Red Sea along the way. Our God is powerful, in parting the sea and defeating the enemies. And our God is merciful, in remembering us. I love that line: "He remembered us when we were in trouble" even more than all of the lines recounting the miracles. This remembering is so very important. Have you ever received a card from a special friend or a phone call when you least expected it?

Being remembered lets us know that we (and whatever trouble we are going through) are important to someone. When someone is hurting, often the most powerful thing we can do is be present with them... our presence speaks more than words- that we are there, that we care, that we remember. Lord thank You for freeing me from my troubles, by simply assuring me that You remember me.

From Evil
2 Peter 2:1-22

"[The false teachers] promise them freedom, but they themselves are not free. They are slaves of things that will be destroyed. For people are slaves of anything that controls them. They were made free from evil in the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But if they return to evil things and those things control them, then it is worse for them than it was before." (2 Peter 2:19-21)

Lots of people in our society today promise freedom- from stress, from worry, from work, from danger, from troubles, from sickness. However many of these routes to supposed 'freedom' lead us straight to entrapment. People become entangled in the bindings of dependency on medication or alcohol or pleasing others or (fill in the blank). It is our job to determine the difference between the false teachers and those that come from God, those that promise the freedom Jesus offers from our sins... that is one I desperately need. Lord, thank you for freeing me from the evil of the world... may I never be fooled by the promise of false freedom.