The Greatness of God's Freedom

Most people want to be prepared in the case of an emergency. Today, we are better able to prepare for those occasional situations in which we need help. Our smart phones, for example, have apps we can use to summon help. In the dramatic reading of Psalm 79:1-9, we can hear the urgency of the words — How long, O Lord? Will you be angry forever? Will your jealous wrath burn like fire?

The situation is dire. Jerusalem has been overrun by the Babylonians. They laid not only the Temple to waste, but cruelly killed many of the citizens before hauling the rest back to Babylon. Will God arrive in time to save the psalmist and his people? Was this a biblical 9-1-1 call? Why weren't God's people more prepared for this attack?

While we read over the graphic passage, we also need to keep ourselves focused on the "big picture" message which is the greatness of God's freedom to react on the dramatic issues of life such as hatred, war, poverty, and injustices created by governing nations. We have the freedom to turn towards God long before it is too late. We have the freedom to turn towards God even after we have used our freedom of choice to ignore a "9-1-1" emergency call to address the brokenness of the world.

May each of us use the gift of God's freedom to address the issues of brokenness in our world.

Pastor Steve