Rescue

So today I would like to contast some scripture. I must first say that I am frustrated because I had my blog almost done and somehow clicked the wrong thing and deleted the entire post. Argh - I have to start all over.

Psalm 68 "...Praise be the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. Our God is a God who saves..."

Most Christians understand that our God is there to carry our burdens yet we still don't understand why we still feel like we are carrying them. We know that God is a God who saves, yet we still feel ensnared. Contast this with Isaiah 46 "...The images that are carried about are burdensome, a burden for the weary. They stoop and bow down together; unable to rescue the burden, they themselves go off into captivity..."

As I read the Isaiah passage I was reminded how many images we create in our own life. They may not be carved images, but they are images non-the-less. It may be our career, money, our posessions, our pride...etc. the list can go on. Take a moment to ponder what images you have created in your own life. Be honest. What is there in you that you have made more important than God? Would you be willing to give it up? Are you willing to allow God to refine you in the fire to remove it? Notice in the Isaiah passage what these images do in our life. They become burdensome, make us weary and take us into captivity. Yikes - sounds miserable.

Then I was thinking that when we attempt to give our burdens to God and we still are carrying them - maybe - just maybe - we have not surrendered our images. We can ask God to take our burdens, but if we are not willing to give up our own images we will continue to be in captivity. Notice how Isaiah says that "they stoop down together, unable to rescue the burden." Can't do it on your own - "Our God is a God who saves."

Christ came to set the captives free.
"My chains are gone, I've been set free, my God my Savior has ransomed me."

It will be hard, but when you ask God to reveal to you what you have made more important in your life than him - he will - just have an open heart to receive.