Beast of Burdens

“They will know that I am the LORD, when I break the bars of their yoke and rescue them from the hands of those who enslaved them. I will provide for them…they will no longer be victims…They will know that I, the LORD their God, am with them and that they…are my people.” Ezekiel 34: 27b-30

Enslavement…can there be anything that depletes our emotional, physical and mental energy more than something in our lives that bind and imprison us? Everyone has some area of enslavement that will resurface throughout our lives with different faces. In the dictionary, enslavement is defined as a dependence, addiction, habit or craving. These are powerful descriptions of areas of our lives for which we give so much attention. Each definition denotes an extreme negative response in certain areas of our lives.

In the Bible God speaks continuously about freedom from captivity and providing a way out through Him. He doesn’t just rescue us but replaces our enslavement with a new life, a new land and a new way. The only requirement on our part is the willingness to trust Him enough to be rescued. We get so comfortable in our enslavement because we have built a comfortable home on that land.

I am reminded of the drowning man who flails his arms as someone is attempting to save him. He creates more dire circumstances for himself through his fear of drowning and lack of trust in the person who has the ability to save him.

If Christ is to break the bars of our yoke, whatever it is that enslaves us, we must be still, trust, float and allow Him to gently and purposefully move us to safe shores. As He lays us on safe land He will not abandon us. He will do the work to breathe life back into us and show us how to live with a newfound appreciation and understanding of life. He will take away our fears from our experiences and replace them with the awesome knowledge of His saving grace in all situations.

When I was a child my sisters and I would carry each other on our shoulders. I remember how it felt when my sister would jump off after I had carried her around. I almost felt like I was going to float upward because the weight of the burden had been lifted. The same is true when we allow Christ to share in our burdens. We assign the amount of power our enslavement has over our lives. We carry those burdens on our shoulders instead of allowing Christ to “break the bars of our yokes.”

What are you carrying around on your shoulders?