Prisoners of the Lord

Among the most remarkable and revealing aspects of Holy Scripture is that followers of the Lord are often referred to, or refer to themselves, as "prisoners."  Today this word usually reminds us of someone who is burdened with guilt and shame, confined, despairing, without freedom or hope--a most undesirable way to be.  But speaking through the prophet Zechariah, God tells his people to "[t]urn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope," and that they will then be given victory over their enemies (Zechariah 9:12).  In the New Testament the Apostle Paul repeatedly, and unashamedly, calls himself "a prisoner of Jesus Christ" or "the prisoner of the Lord" (Ephesians 3:1, 4:1; 2 Timothy 1:8; Philemon 1:1). These great servants of God seem to regard "prisonerhood" with the same joy we normally associate with freedom!  How can that be?

To begin with, we are God's "prisoners" in the sense that we are His creation, made in His image, and placed in the midst of His universe to learn of Him and live as His children. We are never out of His sight and cannot escape His presence or His love, even if we want to (Psalm 139:2-10):

Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.
Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.
Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. . . .
Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.

Moreover, as Paul pointed out in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, "ye are not your own . . . For ye are bought with a price . . ."  Jesus Christ "bought" our souls with His own blood, so we are His possession by the price paid to redeem us from our sins.

Yet, our "prison" is like none we know in this world. With acknowledging and accepting our dependency on God comes everything we need for our safety and happiness: His Word, His Holy Spirit, and the peace and joy of knowing that we have eternal life with Him, come what may in this world. But we are still free to decline these benefits and try to make our way through this world in the darkness, alone. If we thus deprive ourselves of God's guidance and comfort, and choose instead Satan's world of shadows and despair, are we somehow less than "prisoners"?  Are we somehow more "free"?  Sadly, many think so and choose that path. The believer knows better, and is truly liberated, for he knows the truth, and "the truth shall make you free." (John 8:32)  And "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." (John 8:36)

It is a joy almost beyond expression to be the Lord's "prisoner of hope"--to be bought out of slavery and led into the light of truth and life! We know who we are, where we are going, and how to get there, and that we having an infinitely loving Creator and Lord to hold our hand and direct our feet every step of the way. If renouncing ourselves and taking His yoke upon us is to be "imprisoned," we are happy and blessed to do it--"for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:30)

Tom Fleming

Songs of Praises