Devotionals
Set Free
We live in a world that is mostly unforgiving in its nature. Not because this is the way it's supposed to be, but because this is the way satan has made it through deception, disillusionment and lies. We must remember now, more than ever, that not everything is as it seems.
I have two chimneys as part of the heating system of my home. Each year we are greeted by wayward birds that end up either in our basement or in one of the two furnaces. One is a natural gas furnace that runs during cold weather, and the other is the wood-burning add-on that we hardly ever use anymore.
Both give the appearance of warmth to the birds when the cold winds blow. Both are prisons waiting for one of them to venture too far. They roost at the top of the chimney and take turns warming themselves in the heat that dissipates as it rises from the furnace.
I watch with wonder as they swoop to get closer to the heat, sometimes disappearing down the chimney momentarily in an effort to see if they can find the source of the life-giving current of warm air. Most times they reemerge without having found the source; once in awhile they end up finding the source and become trapped. Some quietly die, never having understood that they were seduced into a wrong action; others make enough noise to be heard, hoping someone or something will rescue them.
Life is like that for God's children. We run around without thought of where our actions will take us, longing to feel the warmth of something meaningful and honest. Something that eludes our grasp, yet we sense it is near. We stand on the edge of the chimneys of life and look down, into the dark maw that looks back, inviting us to take the plunge and see where the source of the steam is coming from.
Decisions are sometimes treacherous, sometimes scary. When I hear a disturbance from the basement I get a rush of adrenaline. There is something out of order, a foreign noise, a clamor of wings. Suddenly something inside seeks to explore the noise, to set things right if I can. I've been where that bird is and I can remember how dark the inside of an unknown cage can be. The furnace is to the bird as our idols are to us. They appear to hold promise and sanctuary, a place away from the cold winds of the night. In reality it becomes our prison and the only hope we have is if someone hears our cries and comes to set us free.
I've had the pleasure, and responsibility, of setting many of these feathered captives free. It is scary and yet awesome to go into the depths of the house and seek what is lost and trapped in a jail it entered of its own free will, not understanding the consequences involved. To reach into the wood-burner and retrieve one of God's animals gives a satisfaction that well outweighs the slight fear that wishes to keep me from exploring the noise and descending into the basement.
You see, once in awhile it's not a bird but a bat. And like most humans I'm not too fond of bats. But, they're God's creatures too and the stakes are high and I can't ignore it and hope it goes away. They could never escape without help.
I can't describe that moment when I carry one of them up the stairs and out the back door to freedom. Usually they will sit where I place them for just a moment, not really understanding that they have been set free. Then with a knowledge that only comes from instinct, they fly away. Life's like that. We can get so caught up in the seduction of worldly things that when we have the chance for true freedom, we don't recognize it. The Savior of the world came to set the captives free. We, like the trapped birds, must allow Him to reach into whatever prison we have become trapped in and allow Him to set us free. Don't let the allure of the enemy keep you trapped and silent. When He comes to lead you into safety, reach out and grab His hand.
Matthew 7:25-26, Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sew or reap or store away in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
InHisServiceAlone.org
Craig Clouston
April, 2003
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