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The psalmist found himself in a very desperate situation: “All the nations surrounded me. . . . They surrounded me on every side. . . . They swarmed around me like bees” (Psalm 118:10–12, NIV1984). In the psalmist’s eyes, death was certain; there was nowhere for him to go. So he did what all of us would do in a situation like this: “In my anguish, I cried to the Lord, and He answered me by setting me free.” God heard this man’s prayer and set him free, though the freedom this man received is not what you think.
Let’s finish verses 10–12 (NIV1984): “All the nations surrounded me, but in the name of the Lord I cut them off. They surrounded me on every side, but in the name of the Lord I cut them off. They swarmed around me like bees, but they died out as quickly as burning thorns; in the name of the Lord I cut them off.” Truly God gave this man victory over all of his enemies, but notice that he still had to face the battles. God did not remove him from his situation; rather, He strengthened him in it. “In the name of the Lord I cut them off.”
So what was the psalmist referring to when he said that God had set him free? Well, look at what the psalmist wrote directly after he prayed to God for deliverance: “The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? The Lord is with me; he is my helper. I will look in triumph on my enemies” (Psalm 118:6–7, NIV1984). I want you to notice that this man’s situation hadn’t changed; he was still surrounded by enemies on every side. Yet his perspective was completely different now. Why? Because he remembered that God was with him and that God was for him; he knew that nothing could come against him with the Lord by his side, and so his perspective went from defeat to “triumph.”
Even though God did not set this man free from his circumstances, God set him free in his circumstances. No longer did he look at God through his situation; he now looked at his situation through God—big difference. Believer, God will always set us free when we call on Him; just remember, it may not be freedom from our circumstances, but rather freedom in our circumstances.
We hope you have enjoyed this 7-Day devotion from the 365 Day Devotional Renovating Your Mind by Patrick Egle.
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