God Who Loosens
“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?" (Isaiah 58:6 NIV)
"Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose." (Acts 16:26 NIV)
"He did this because Daniel, whom the king called Belteshazzar, was found to have a keen mind and knowledge and understanding, and also the ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles and solve difficult problems." (Daniel 5:12 NIV)
If you read today's key Scriptures, you may be wondering what the reference from Daniel 5 has to do with "God Who Loosens."
Here I must again give credit to small-group Bible study for teaching me that the original Aramaic for "solve difficult problems" (Daniel 5:12) can more literally be translated "loosening of knots."
I owe a debt of gratitude to a friend from church for giving me a picture of what this loosening looks like. I was trying to work out a knot in a necklace I'd worn one Sunday morning and was holding it up, attempting to untangle it. My friend came by and advised I'd make more progress if I laid the necklace on a table. He explained that gravity was pulling the knot tighter, making the weight of the necklace work against my efforts. He also suggested that, after I laid the necklace down, I poke around in the trouble spot with a sharp point like the end of a straightened paper clip, to further loosen the tangle.
Don't we ever have some difficult problems that need their knots loosened? Captivity. Injustice. Oppression. And most of all: our separation from God. The weight of sin pulls down on that knot, making it tighter and working against all our efforts to save ourselves. But Jesus laid our sin on the table of His sacrifice, taking the weight off that most difficult of problems. And then the sharp points: nails driven into His body, poking around the knot, freeing it. Freeing us. So that instead of the cords of the yoke, we can wear the beautiful jewelry of salvation and freedom.Here's our difficult problem, Lord. Loosen this knot. Untie the cords of this yoke. Throw the doors open, that we may walk in freedom.
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I'd love to hear from you! Feel free to tell me what you really think. Years ago, I explained to my then-two-year-old that my appointment with a counselor was "sort of like going to a doctor who will help me be a better mommy." Without blinking, she replied, "You'd better go every day." All of which is just to say I've spent some time in the school of brutal honesty!