Before You Begin
Pause. Quiet your mind, take a slow breath in and out. Stay in this moment.
Passage
Reading & Reflection
We are revisiting this text today, because you may feel anything but free.
You may doubt that you’ll ever be able to achieve your dreams. Maybe you’ve even stopped dreaming up dreams.
If so, you’re in good company. That’s where God found the nation Israel, Moses’ people, before he released them from slavery in Egypt. God performed signs and wonders to release the people he chose from a future that held nothing but bondage.
God promised them a land of milk and honey. And a life of freedom to journey with God and not under any oppressive regime.
Paul, one of Jesus’s apostles who came from the nation of Israel and supernaturally met Jesus, intimately knows the freedom he speaks of in this verse. He had encountered Jesus on his way to persecute Christians. In other words, he was the oppressive regime. But Paul literally saw the risen Jesus and was freed from his misconceptions about God. Even though, as he wrote this scripture, he was actively being persecuted, he couldn’t stop talking about the glory of his newfound freedom.
If you read Paul’s letters in the New Testament (they are fascinating!) you’ll know he isn’t talking about freedom from troubles and hardship. He’s talking about the freedom to live in step with God, in the presence of the Spirit, in love and joy and peace.
Personally, I can tell you what the Spirit of the Lord Jesus has shown me. The Spirit has taken me on a long journey to free my heart and mind from the far-reaching impacts of trauma. The Spirit has helped me change the ways I’ve hurt people around me. The Spirit guides me into purpose for each and every day. The Spirit teaches me to delight in small things, to rejoice in faithfulness. The Spirit moves me to make decisions of faith, not fear.
It doesn’t mean my troubles have all disappeared. Far from it! But I know that I know that I know when I listen to the Spirit’s nudges, I move even closer to that freedom. I’ve experienced it.
Come, discover how the Spirit brings freedom for yourself. Invite the Holy Spirit to move in your heart and mind. Ask the Spirit to shine the light of Christ into whatever darkness leaves you feeling stuck or in despair.
You have all you need to live freely and joyfully in the midst of troubles: The Spirit of the Lord. For where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. Invite God’s Spirit to come. Pray the Spirit shows you this freedom. It’s ok if you’re cautiously curious; invite God to move.
Bottom Line: The Spirit of the Lord will give you all you need to live freely in the midst of troubles. Invite Him to come.
Morning Prayer
Jesus, today I stretch out my hands and ask that you would guide me through whatever comes. Please pour out your Spirit into my heart and mind. Help me to see what you see and hear what you hear, and lead me into surrender.
Show me how to live more freely, despite my troubles. You promise to help bear my burdens, so I ask for your help with… (share whatever’s weighing on your mind) Amen
Evening Prayer
I praise you, Lord God, that you’ve generously shared your Spirit with me. Thank you that, by your Spirit, I eternally know that I’m deeply loved. Thank you for the work of your Spirit, freeing me from a life of darkness and despair.
God, I confess that sometimes I hear the whispers of your Spirit and pretend I didn’t. Show me any sources of darkness that hold me back from living freely. Equip me with the courage and strength to respond, knowing that each time I do, I move closer to the freedom you want for me.
Jesus, help me to live freely and joyfully in the midst of everyday troubles. Fill my heart to overflowing with your love, for me and for others. In your holy Name, amen.
