Say to those with a fearful heart, “Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God. He will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense. He will come and save you.
“Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy,” Isaiah 35:4-6 states.
This promise — delivered long before Jesus’ time — speaks of a future for which many longed. People hoped for the time when oppression would cease and they could live in comfort.
Centuries later, when Jesus began preaching and healing, people wondered if he could be the Messiah. He made the blind see and the deaf hear. He healed the sick and lame. For those whose hearts were receptive, Jesus fulfilled God’s promise.
Today, this promise is available to all; the challenge comes in recognizing and accepting it.
Many individuals have imprisoned themselves through poor choices, taking chances that leave them crippled physically, mentally, financially or spiritually, lives become devastated. Disobedience, a sense of entitlement, haughtiness, ego, and more keep many from recognizing a greater authority, one that has promised to wipe out life’s aspects that weigh them down.
Still, people seek relief from those things that oppress them, that make them afraid, that cause them to doubt there is anything good in life. But one major roadblock prevents the kind of freedom they seek. It is the difficulty in saying, “I was wrong. There truly is a power greater than myself. I was foolish to think otherwise.”
Pride makes such a realization difficult, but it is necessary to acknowledge the Lord is greater than you. It is important to understand he desires your heart more than you desire his. It is necessary to recognize God has fulfilled his promise to come and relieve your fear, oppression and doubt.
When you can humble yourself, you can recognize God’s promise right before you. God simply waits for you to open your eyes, ears, heart and mind to be aware of our Lord’s presence.
He holds the key to opening the door of your self-made prison.
The Rev. Mark Broadhead is pastor at Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Crestview.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: BROADHEAD: God holds the key to your self-made prison