God adores you. He created you. He loves you. He wants you to be free. He wants to bless you and care for you. But the coolest thing is, He wants to be friends with you. He wants you to know Him the way He knows you. He wants you to enjoy Him. He thinks about you all the time. He has so much He wants to give you, but if you are choosing to serve something or someone else, He will let you. He will allow you to be in bondage to whatever it is you are choosing over Him.
Many people don’t even know they are in bondage. I’d say most people lie to themselves and pretend that they are not serving money, or power, or popularity. But their lives are dedicated to those things. Their lives are all about making things better, becoming richer, admired, and influential. People think if there is no obvious addiction then there is no slavery. You do not have to be an alcoholic or junkie to be bound to sin. Often captivity doesn’t appear as slavery. But if you serve yourself and the cravings of your inner being, you are in slavery. You think you serve yourself. You’re wrong. You serve Satan.
It is time for you to be free. It is time for you to let God break every chain you have holding you to sin. You do not have to serve sin anymore. God is here. He wants to free you from whatever it is that rules over you. Is it desire for power, or money, or love? You don’t even know how or why that thing has so much power over you, but somehow it does. But God made a way to free you. He paid the price for you. He will emancipate you from servitude to yourself, your lusts, and your addictions and set you free to become who He made you to be.
How? You choose Jesus over everything else. You realize it is only Him that can liberate you. Did you know God is not up in Heaven looking down at you with disgust? He looks at you with love. He hates the lies that have kept you from Him. He hates the chains that bind you. He loves you and He wants to break those chains. Not everyone is willing to let Him. It is more comfortable for some people to remain in prison that to be released and face a new world without the security of the warden ordering their lives. He is calling you with tender love, not shouting at you with repulsion. His promise is good news, joyous, and worth celebrating. He is calling you to peace with Him. He is calling you into His rest. Verses 7-8 read,
“How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of him who brings good news,
who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness,
who publishes salvation,
who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”
8 The voice of your watchmen—they lift up their voice;
together they sing for joy;
for eye to eye they see
the return of the Lord to Zion.”
Jesus wants to set you free. All you have to do is ask Him to do it. Everything that stood between you and God will be broken or moved. If you choose to serve God instead of yourself, you’ll find a freedom you never knew could exist. Rather than spend your time making sure your bank account can provide for you through age 84, you will spend your time getting to know the Great and Mighty God and realize His promises to sustain you are more concrete, more sure than all the money in the world.
So choose Jesus, ask Him now to be your Lord and King. Tell Him you choose Him over the world. And I assure you He will take care of you. He will be more than you ever imagined. He will release you from the things you thought you needed. Verse 12 says,
“For you shall not go out in haste,
and you shall not go in flight,
for the Lord will go before you,
and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.”
You don’t have to worry. God, who created the entire universe, who delivered Israel from Egypt, who fought wars for them, who came to earth for you, lived for you, died for you, and raised from the dead for you will take care of you.
Verses 13-15 describe the world’s reaction to Jesus.
“Behold, my servant shall act wisely;
he shall be high and lifted up,
and shall be exalted.
14 As many were astonished at you--
his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance,
and his form beyond that of the children of mankind--
15 so shall he sprinkle many nations;
kings shall shut their mouths because of him;
for that which has not been told them they see,
and that which they have not heard they understand.”
They tried to destroy Jesus. They beat Him beyond recognition. He was tortured so badly he didn’t even look human anymore. But He overcame death. He rose from the dead and in doing that He made the way to buy you from the masters you serve now to become His. People don’t get it, they don’t understand. But one day they will. You can choose Him now. You can be free now and forever. Is it time to stop sweating under the strain of trying to be who you think the world wants you to be and be who you were created to be?
Ask Jesus to be your King and your Friend. Tell Him you are done chasing your yearnings and you choose Freedom, Love, and Righteousness.