“I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles,
to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.
Isaiah 42:6-7 (NIV)
The young lady led me down a long hallway. Her badge opened the door so I could walk through.
“Just let the staff know when you are ready to leave and someone will let you out,” she said.
Even though I was locked in, the open, well decorated room looked inviting. My friend and another lady sat at a table in a dining area.
Her face broke into a huge grin when she spotted me. Her delight warmed my heart.
For over an hour, we talked and reminisced about times when she lived near me.
From time to time, she would say, “I don’t want to be here.”
I told her she would have to cook, clean and do dishes if she was at home.
Minutes later, she would say, “I know I need to be here.”
Later, she and her friend agreed, “This is a prison. We are locked in.”
Even though the facility was clean and looked good, to the residents it felt like a prison. We were all locked in but I was able to leave.
After I left her section and walked through the assisted living area and then outside, four ladies greeted me. They sat with their walkers nearby while I stood. For several minutes we talked. One shared that she could no longer drive and had no car. Their lives changed dramatically when they left their homes and moved into an assisted living facility. They were not locked in but their circumstances made them prisoners too.
On my way home, I thanked God for my home, car and freedom to go out and do what I wanted to do.
People live in all kinds of prisons. Literal jails but other types too. Locked memory care facilities. Hospital rooms. Addictions. Diseases. Wheelchairs. Worry. Fear. Depression. Blindness. Grief. Unforgiveness. Shame. Dementia. Deafness.
Prisons don’t have to be buildings with bars. Circumstances can limit freedom and movement. We might cause our prisons or perhaps we have no control for the painful situations. Whatever the condition, God can use it for His purpose.
During his time in a Roman prison, the Apostle Paul shared the gospel with those around him and through his letters which continue to encourage Christians today. God used him in a special way.
Chains might fall away. But they might not at least in this life.
Father, show us how to live in prisons that won’t change. Help us to change the ones that we can. Give strength, encouragement and wisdom for whatever lies ahead.
Amen
