Have you ever been imprisoned? Maybe not in a physical, brick-and-mortar prison. But perhaps you can identify with the psalmist, David, as he cries to the Lord, “Bring my soul out of prison…” (Ps. 142:7). I know I can. There are times that I find myself imprisoned by fear and worry. I see the stress of a dozen different possibilities and add that to my already too-heavy load. The fear and the worry, the stress – these are the bricks and the mortar, the bars and the chains that form the prison of my soul. With David, I cry, “Bring my soul out of prison.” In His tender love and kindness, the Lord has given me a ‘key’ and a ‘light’ for our journey together out of this prison. I’d like to share those with you today.
A key unlocks the doors, sets the prisoners free. My ‘key’ is a couple verses found in the third chapter of Proverbs. “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths” (Pr. 3:5-6). I don’t know how it is for you, but I find that almost without failure, the heart cause of every worry and fear is my lack of trust in God. So many of the things we worry about are out of our control. We worry about weather. We worry about our loved ones and the choices they make, their well-being. We worry about job security. We worry about how we look, about how others perceive us. We worry about whether we made the right decisions. And then we can worry about worrying so much. But all this worry does nothing – except, of course, imprison our souls. Instead of stepping out in faith, trusting God, and seeking His guidance in all we do, we stand frozen, confused, and overwhelmed. In our prison of fear and worry, we forget that the all-wise, all-powerful God, who only does wondrous things is the one in control. We can trust His promise that nothing can separate His children from His love. As we trust God with all our hearts, and in all areas of our lives, the chains and bars of worry can no longer hold us prisoners.
And so we begin our journey out of our souls’ prison. Sometimes, that trip seems close to instantaneous. We quickly identify in which areas we are not trusting God; the correction is straightforward, the truth of who God is an what He does is easy to embrace, and trust in God releases us to walk in joy and peace with Him. but other times our ‘soul prisons’ have been days, months, years in the making. The chains and bars are thick and heavy. The locks are rusty. There’s secret passages, false exits, trap doors. It seems we will never be free from this complex maze of fear and worry holding us captive.
In cases such as this, we need a light to show us the way, to guide our steps. The Bible is the light for our feet, and I found Psalm 142 to be particularly helpful as the Lord and I walk out of my soul prison together. The first couple verses of the psalm show the first step. “I cried unto the Lord with my voice: with my voice unto the Lord did I make my supplication. I poured out my complaint before him: I showed before him my trouble.” In our distress, when we are burdened down and locked up by fear and worry, we should call on God. He urges us to cast our burdens and our cares on Him, because He cares for us. He will hear and answer our cries. The next sentence in the psalm bathes the soul with comfort and peace. “When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou knewest my path.” Even when we are confused, turned around, shaken up, and overwhelmed, our God still knows the path we take! And if we keep seeking His guidance in our lives, He will faithfully guide us in the right paths.
Verses four and five shed a bit more light on the way. “I looked on the right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul. I cried unto thee, O Lord: I said, Thou art my refuge, and and my portion in the land of the living.” Sometimes, when we look around, we find ourselves alone, isolated by our fears and worries. Sometimes this is false perception, created by our own fear of vulnerability. Other times, it could be that we are indeed surrounded by those who don’t understand and really don’t care. Regardless of the situation, God is still our refuge. God is always the refuge whereunto we may continually resort and find healing, restoration, and freedom. He understands our fear and worries better than any human can, and so much more fully than we ever could. And from this perspective He is able to tenderly show us where we are not trusting Him so we can gain our freedom.
The final verses of Psalm 142 hit home, describing bout our situation and our desired outcome. “Attend unto my cry; for I am brought very low: deliver me from my persecutors; for they are stronger than I. Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name: the righteous shall compass me about; for thou shalt deal bountifully with me.” Theses verses are an awesome reminder that no matter how alone we feel, others have been here too. Others have cried to God for deliverance from that which is stronger than they are. Others have cried from their lowest places. And God has heard. He has delivered them. He has filled their mouths with praises. He has blessed them and led them forth in the right way. And He will do the same for you and me.
Friends, your soul may not be imprisoned today. but God and His promises never change. So when you find yourself in a situation where your soul is imprisoned by fear and worry (or anything else), God will deliver your when you cry to Him. And dear friend whose soul is in prison, I pray these verses would encourage you as they did me. Keep calling to God and seeking Him. Learn to know Him better and to trust Him more. Keep walking with Him and He will bring you out. When He does, sing forth His praise and proclaim His goodness. “Who is like unto the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high, who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth!” (Ps. 113:5-6) “Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder” (Ps. 107:15-16).
Hope in truth 