Broken chains

Those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, Bound in affliction and irons—Because they rebelled against the words of God, And despised the counsel of the Most High, Therefore He brought down their heart with labour; They fell down, and there was none to help. Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, And He saved them out of their distresses. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, And broke their chains in pieces. - Psalm 107v10-14

These few verse are an amazing picture of the love and mercy of God. It speaks for the nation of Israel, but it also speaks of us. These people, and indeed we, were trapped in the chains and shackles of sin. These chains were of our own making. We, and they, put on these irons because of rebellion against God's word and despising and rejecting His counsel.

It would be one thing if someone else had chained us and then we had been delivered. That would be the norm. But we put on our own chains and shackles and prison irons. And we kept putting on more and more locks and more and more chains.

But God brought us out of that prison. He saved us from our distress. He brought us out of the darkness of our prison cell. He smashed our chains to pieces.

Why would He do that? Because of His love and grace and mercy -because that is who He is. He did it because He is love.

What did this great work take – there was no one else to help so we called out to Him. He allowed us to suffer the consequences of our chains so that we would call out, and when we did He acted.

Our chains are smashed. Sins no longer bind us. Praise God for that kind of love and mercy.