As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent
forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water.
Turn you to the stronghold, ye prisoners of hope...
Zechariah 9:11-12
I found it interesting how that in this Scripture from the Old Testament...
forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water.
Turn you to the stronghold, ye prisoners of hope...
Zechariah 9:11-12
I found it interesting how that in this Scripture from the Old Testament...
...the Lord equates water with hope. Here we find prisoners stuck in a pit. There seemed to be no way out, and we know that no one can survive for long without water.
But leave it to God to come to the rescue of those who call out to Him, even prisoners. The Jewish prophet Micah declared that the Almighty is full of compassion. He delights in showing mercy even to those who have sinned by breaking His laws (Micah 7:18-20).
I think that, for the most part, mercy is oftentimes hard to come by. Yet the Bible again proclaims that, "The Lord is full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy" (Psalm 145:8).
But who are these prisoners stuck in a pit? Are they criminals? Some of them may very well be, but not all are prisoners in the legal sense. I say this because there are people from all walks of life who may find themselves trapped in the pits of addiction, depression, or loneliness, or have become trapped in all kinds of vices.
These individuals may have been living in their own pits of despair for so long a time that they've lost all hope of ever getting out of them. They're broken souls who are desperate for water. Their hearts have known only grief and sorrow. They're what we could call the "walking dead."
Yet the holy Bible says that Jesus came to "heal the brokenhearted, and to speak salvation to those who've found themselves being held captive to sin, and in need of deliverance." In addition, the loving Savior will not only set at liberty those who are trapped in a pit of despair and misery, but will also make a way for them to begin a new life. This is what He did for me.
The Bible describes Jesus as the "Water of Life." In His own words, the Lord declared, "Anyone who is thirsty may come to me and drink. Those who believe in me, out of their inner being will flow rivers of living water" (John 7:37-38).
The only way out of one's pit is to look to the Lord and call upon Him in faith. We were not made for confinement, but for freedom. We were created to walk with God, not run from Him.
Once upon a time, I, too, lived in a pit. But the day I called upon the Lord; I was delivered from that pit of death. I was given the gift of eternal life, instead. If God did this for me, He can and will do it for you. "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Romans 10:13).
D.B.
Luke 4:18
But leave it to God to come to the rescue of those who call out to Him, even prisoners. The Jewish prophet Micah declared that the Almighty is full of compassion. He delights in showing mercy even to those who have sinned by breaking His laws (Micah 7:18-20).
I think that, for the most part, mercy is oftentimes hard to come by. Yet the Bible again proclaims that, "The Lord is full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy" (Psalm 145:8).
But who are these prisoners stuck in a pit? Are they criminals? Some of them may very well be, but not all are prisoners in the legal sense. I say this because there are people from all walks of life who may find themselves trapped in the pits of addiction, depression, or loneliness, or have become trapped in all kinds of vices.
These individuals may have been living in their own pits of despair for so long a time that they've lost all hope of ever getting out of them. They're broken souls who are desperate for water. Their hearts have known only grief and sorrow. They're what we could call the "walking dead."
Yet the holy Bible says that Jesus came to "heal the brokenhearted, and to speak salvation to those who've found themselves being held captive to sin, and in need of deliverance." In addition, the loving Savior will not only set at liberty those who are trapped in a pit of despair and misery, but will also make a way for them to begin a new life. This is what He did for me.
The Bible describes Jesus as the "Water of Life." In His own words, the Lord declared, "Anyone who is thirsty may come to me and drink. Those who believe in me, out of their inner being will flow rivers of living water" (John 7:37-38).
The only way out of one's pit is to look to the Lord and call upon Him in faith. We were not made for confinement, but for freedom. We were created to walk with God, not run from Him.
Once upon a time, I, too, lived in a pit. But the day I called upon the Lord; I was delivered from that pit of death. I was given the gift of eternal life, instead. If God did this for me, He can and will do it for you. "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Romans 10:13).
D.B.
Luke 4:18
