“For which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained.” 2 Timothy 2:9
If you travel by airplane, even occasionally, there is a good chance you’ve been stuck in an airport terminal at least once in your life. And if you’ve experienced that, you can attest that when you are stuck in an airport, it really is a stressful and helpless place to be.
A couple of weeks ago, my family enjoyed some time away and had an incredible, relaxing beach vacation. But on our way back home, we were scheduled to have a brief layover before making our way back to Tennessee. Our final flight was scheduled to leave at 9 pm, but once we arrived, they told us the First Officer didn’t show up, so they had to find another one, meaning we were now scheduled to leave at 2 am, a five-hour delay.
What was a five-hour delay turned into an 11-hour delay when it was then changed to 8 am in the next morning. My family was literally stuck in this airport, sleeping on the floor, and unable to leave.
You might assume, because of all the things accessible, that airports are a pretty good place to be imprisoned. But when our flights are delayed an hour, even with all these conveniences, we see it as a huge inconvenience. Now imagine if you were trapped there for an entire day, or a week, or a month, or even a year.
This is a good picture of what it is to be locked in a cage, unable to experience true freedom. We deal with cages like this all the time. Not necessarily in a physical sense, but in a spiritual sense. There are cages we get stuck in and sometimes we don’t even know it at first glance. It is like an airport. It seems like a normal environment at first. It is not threatening or scary, there are a lot of people there with us, so we believe it is completely normal.
Have you ever found yourself trapped in a cage? It might not be physical… maybe it is a cage of lust or drugs. Maybe it is an addiction that keeps you in a cage. Maybe it is a secret sin, or maybe it is a false story you have told yourself about God, yourself, or someone else. Whatever the case me be, God wants to free you from that cage. The great news is: you do not have to stay there! We will talk about that more tomorrow.