Do we desire God as He desires us?

 Musing 1/31/21

Do we desire God as He desires us?

Photo by Dennis Gries from Pixabay 

What has He done to show His desire towards us?

First of all, He created us with free-will. What exactly does that mean? It means He was willing to take the risk that His created people could choose to hate Him, could choose to be selfish, could choose to do evil.
Without giving us this free-will, meaningful relationships and true Love would not be possible. If we didn't have free-will we'd only be doing what He programmed/designed us to do, there is nothing meaningful in that. Would you feel deeply touched if your cell-phone woke you up every morning and told you, "I Love You!"? Of course not. Why? Because a cell phone is programmed it doesn't have Free-will. There would be nothing truly meaningful, no real relationship between something that is simply designed to do and say loving things.
But when a person has a choice to love someone or something else and they choose you, then you can feel touched deeply. And the greatest love that can be shown to us is when someone lays down their life for ours. Whether it's daily self-denial to make our life more comfortable or it's jumping in front of a bullet that was meant for us. This kind of sacrificial choice reaches into our innermost being and touches us deeply.

So what has God done to show us His love for us?

He took on the nature of His own created people.

Now He can feel what we feel, sickness, both emotional and physical pain as men feel not as a God who is all-powerful.

He set aside His God-power* and this is what made Him becoming a man so meaningful.

Had He kept His God-power all He did would not seem so exceptional because He had God-power to do what He did. But He laid His God-power aside and that's why all that He did is so inspiring because He was an example to us of what we ourselves (by His grace) can do as His created people. We can live a selfless, sacrificial life, seeking only to fulfill the Father's will for our life and not seeking our own. And by doing so we become one with the only God who Loves us immeasurably.

Just now as I am writing this musing I was reminded that Christ speaks specifically of wanting to be one with us. So I looked it up and even after being a follower of Christ for over 20 years, I don't think this chapter has ever hit me like it did just now in light of everything I am musing on. Please read it without distraction and really take in the deep Love of God and be inspired by what He calls us to.
John 17:1-26
[1]These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:
*[2]As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. {this is one God-power He actually had that we don't}
[3]And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
[4]I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
[5]And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
[6]I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.
[7]Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.
[8]For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.
[9]I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.
[10]And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.
[11]And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.
[12]While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.
[13]And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
[14]I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
[15]I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.
[16]They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
[17]Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
[18]As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.
[19]And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. {Here we see a manifestation of His self-less love}
[20]Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;
[21]That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
[22]And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
[23]I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
[24]Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.
[25]O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.
[26]And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.

And this is His desire to become one with us.

After considering this reality let's honestly ask and examine our hearts with this question,
"Do we desire God as He desires us?"

I know there are times that I have (greatly desired Him) and that's what caused me to find Him in the first place and to give up my life at the time to follow Him. I haven't stopped following Him all these 20+ years, but sadly I have lost my initial hunger and thirst for Him at times. I have also been distracted by the cares of this life creeping back into my heart, and selfish desires finding a way back into my heart...
So today His love is still drawing me to Him by waking me up with these inspiring thoughts. And although I have not allowed myself to be as close to Him as He wants to be with me (I realize I am a fool for preferring other things over deep intimacy with Him)...I by His tender mercies can be renewed in my inner being to return to that place of undistracted adoration where the whole heart, all the mind, and soul are captivated by Him and Him alone, and nothing else matters.

I have been telling my husband, I wish (not permanently that) I could be a mind without a body because I don't want to have to tend to the needs of this body, I just want to spend hours thinking on the things of God. I don't want to be distracted with getting up to make food and eat, etc. Although, God designed us to have a body and a mind and His design is best. Communion with God gives us life and true satisfaction. We have to learn to maintain that communion even with all the needs of our body.

I had been in and out of seasons of preferring all the other things rather than intimacy with Him, and rather than thinking solely on heavenly things... Now I lay here and it's passed noon and I don't care for anything else, I don't care that I haven't eaten, I don't care that my body is uncomfortable from laying in this bed so long... Why am I telling the world this?

Because, I want you to be inspired, and be influenced to not make the mistakes I have made by allowing life to be so busy that even if you are serving God in what you are doing, you still aren't having enough intimate communion with Him.
In any relationship we have, it will suffer if even though the person is a spouse or a child, or someone you see and serve daily; if you don't stop and have a meaningful undistracted deep conversation with that person the relationship will suffer. Sure you "love" each other, but the relationship loses its satisfaction and strength and if you continue to set those more intimate conversations aside you may lose even that relationship that you thought you had.

Many today call themselves Christian because the concept of the word Christian has lost its deep meaning. Now there is this idea that you say a "sinners prayer" and thereby become "saved" and now you call yourself a "Christian".

Back in the days of Old when the Word Christian was first used it meant making a decision that was contrary to societal and religious norms that would likely get you tortured and killed. It entailed making a radical change in your thoughts and actions.

Today how many who call themselves Christian struggle to even make the most basic changes in their life, like that of their outward adorning, or telling their friends about their new found love of Christ? If they struggle with the basics how will they be willing to be tortured and keep the faith? If they don't want to be mocked for not wearing the latest fashion how will they endure being mocked for following what the world believes to be a foolish imagination, "a God that suffered to save us!" they mockingly say {hear their scoffing?}.
How humiliating is it for you to take a stand for what is pure and lovely in front of family or friends? How humiliating is it for you to walk away from sinful entertainment your family and friends want you to partake in? How humiliating is it if someone cracks a joke about abortion and you remain silent instead of sharing the truth? And then (for the women) the idea of wearing a veil to cover the head! "Yikes!" "How humiliating is that!!!?" Think of things you struggle to do for love of Christ and then...

Ask Christ how humiliating it was that people thought He was born of fornication. Ask Christ how humiliating it was to stand before reverenced religious men and have them think what He was saying was demonic or that He was a lunatic, or that He was just some proud, high-minded fool seeking a religious following. Ask Christ how humiliating it was to have his family hear so many people thinking that He's crazy. Ask Christ how humiliating it was to be laughed to scorn by a crowd of people. Ask Christ how humiliating it was to be whipped in front of all kinds of people and spit on and have His beard ripped out and to be stripped of His clothing in front of family, friends, and strangers. Ask Christ how humiliating it was to be nailed to a tree naked hanging before people He loved that imagined Him to be worthy of such treatment, that thought He was a fool and called out to Him,

"...Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross." ~Matthew 27:40

And now ask yourself, "How do the things I struggle with doing for God even compare to the humiliation Christ suffered for love of me!?"

Do we desire God as He desires us?
What are we not willing to do for love of Him?
Some people are giving up a marriage to someone they really love because they discovered under the New Covenant divorce and remarriage is not permitted. (Mark 10:2-12)What an amazing love they have for God!
Some are in prison for love of Him.
Some are being tortured for love of Him.

The sincerity of our love will be tested as it is in every relationship we have.
True Love is sacrificial, True Love is what God has for us. Consider reading John 17 again and really pondering His love for you and the blessedness of what it means to truly be a Christian.

May we sincerely find ourselves desiring Him, and to be One with Him, as much as He desires to be ONE with us.

Kill Babies at Birth?

 

I was doing some research recently regarding abortions. It is very sad that the new President of the USA supports this crazy idea to kill babies at birth so I was told by a Senator. This is an excerpt from an email the Senator sent me:

"Biden’s statement on Friday renewed his promise to “codify Roe vs. Wade” and force states to follow suit.

His threat to codify Roe vs. Wade will be implemented state by state, allowing the murder of preborn children up even to the point of birth, something that only the most pro-abortion states like New York have legalized."

It is very hard for me to wrap my head around how anyone can tear a baby apart from the womb let alone at birth! It is sad that thinking like I do on this topic is becoming outdated. But it does not have to be outdated to believe murdering babies is wrong. We as individuals have the power to influence how those around us think.  I myself am writing this post and creating memes to positively influence "positive" thinking (really it's called sound thinking) about babies. 

So, I came across the Hippocratic Oath which is a vow that was made by Doctors of Old Times and even today; although today's may read a bit different, I doubt they swear by the false gods. This Oath was originally written in Greek, I found it to be very interesting: (Take note this is an oath taken by people who were NOT Christian...yet they had morals and values back then that some who profess Christ today do Not even have.)

"I swear by Apollo Healer, by Asclepius, by Hygieia, by Panacea, and by all the gods and goddesses, making them my witnesses, that I will carry out, according to my ability and judgment, this oath and this indenture.

To hold my teacher in this art equal to my own parents; to make him partner in my livelihood; when he is in need of money to share mine with him; to consider his family as my own brothers, and to teach them this art, if they want to learn it, without fee or indenture; to impart precept, oral instruction, and all other instruction to my own sons, the sons of my teacher, and to indentured pupils who have taken the Healer’s oath, but to nobody else. {Notice the Christ-like principles that I emphasized being upheld by Non-Christians}

I will use those dietary regimens which will benefit my patients according to my greatest ability and judgment, and I will do no harm or injustice to them.^[7] Neither will I administer a poison to anybody when asked to do so, nor will I suggest such a course. Similarly I will not give to a woman a pessary to cause abortion. But I will keep pure and holy both my life and my art. I will not use the knife, not even, verily, on sufferers from stone, but I will give place to such as are craftsmen therein. { Today doctors know very little about the healing that can come through proper diet. Sadly many of them also will kill babies for hire and give out poison like candy.} 

Into whatsoever houses I enter, I will enter to help the sick, and I will abstain from all intentional wrong-doing and harm, especially from abusing the bodies of man or woman, bond or free. And whatsoever I shall see or hear in the course of my profession, as well as outside my profession in my intercourse with men, if it be what should not be published abroad, I will never divulge, holding such things to be holy secrets. {Today patients are charged unreasonable amounts to go to doctors rather than doctors going to the sick and they kill babies intentionally as well as adults.}

Now if I carry out this oath, and break it not, may I gain for ever reputation among all men for my life and for my art; but if I break it and forswear myself, may the opposite befall me.^[6] "– Translation by W.H.S. Jones. 

For those interested in reading further on the old Oaths and beliefs read the following quote or skip past it:

"Providing poisonous drugs would certainly have been viewed as immoral by contemporary physicians if it resulted in murder. However, the absolute ban described in the oath also forbids euthanasia. Several accounts of ancient physicians willingly assisting suicides have survived.^[14] Multiple explanations for the prohibition of euthanasia in the oath have been proposed: it is possible that not all physicians swore the oath, or that the oath was seeking to prevent widely held concerns that physicians could be employed as political assassins.^[15]

The interpreted AD 275 fragment of the oath contains a prohibition of abortion that is in contradiction to original Hippocratic text On the Nature of the Child, which contains a description of an abortion, without any implication that it was morally wrong,^[16] and descriptions of abortifacient medications are numerous in the ancient medical literature.^[17] While many Christian versions of the Hippocratic Oath, particularly from the middle-ages, explicitly prohibited abortion, the prohibition is often omitted from many oaths taken in US medical schools today, though it remains controversial.^[18] Scribonius Largus was adamant in AD 43 (the earliest surviving reference to the oath) that it preclude abortion.^[19]

As with Scribonius Largus, there seemed to be no question to Soranus that the Hippocratic Oath prohibits abortion, although apparently not all doctors adhered to it strictly in his time. According to Soranus' 1st or 2nd century AD work Gynaecology, one party of medical practitioners banished all abortives as required by the Hippocratic Oath; the other party—to which he belonged—was willing to prescribe abortions, but only for the sake of the mother's health.^[19][20]

The oath stands out among comparable ancient texts on medical ethics and professionalism through its heavily religious tone, a factor which makes attributing its authorship to Hippocrates particularly difficult. Phrases such as 'but I will keep pure and holy both my life and my art' suggest a deep, almost monastic devotion to the art of medicine. He who keeps to the oath is promised 'reputation among all men for my life and for my art'. This contrasts heavily with Galenic writings on professional ethics, which employ a far more pragmatic approach, where good practice is defined as effective practice, without reference to deities.^{[21]"--from https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippocratic_Oath}

My Post Continues:

 Many believe that wisdom increases with time, but we can see through many historical accounts that is not always the case. Reading this old oath we see that even secular people of old held unto a reasonable value of the life of others and of the unborn. There is so much we can learn from the Word of God if Christians today knew how valuable the Word of God is they would be more united in knowing right from wrong. Regardless of what scholars today teach about the unborn in the womb even if it was "just a clump of cells" as they say it is a clump that holds in itself LIFE and they themselves are only a "clump of cells" if they want to be that scientific about what makes up a human-being. Look here what the Holy Scriptutres teaches us regarding that which is in the womb:

If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman's husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life. Exodus 21:22-23

Is it not interesting? ...that "the clump of cells is referd to as "fruit" and when it is harmed LIFE is lost and therefore life is required of the one who destroyed it.

It is so important that those who declare to follow Christ take and make, opportunities to sow sound judgment concerning the Life of unborn children. Many are working night and day to convince younger generations that Life is not Life; even on the day that life gasps for it's first breath, the one we call Doctor and expect to be a preserver and healer of life is ready and willing to destroy that precious life for hire/selfish gain.

Mothers teach your children that life is valuable and life in the womb is precious no matter how tiny that life is.

Young ladies tach the same to your siblings and bear this witness to your friends; don't be ashamed to call Life, a Life.

For the many who have sadly made the mistake of destroying the Life God blessed your womb with know that God is ready and willing to forgive. Recieve His forgiveness and boldly share your regrets with others to help deliver them from making the same mistake.

"As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones are joined together in the womb of her that is with child: so thou knowest not the works of God, who is the maker of all." --Ecclesiastes 11:5

   Study the Inner Meaning

 Related New Christian Commentary

  Study the original Hebrew/Greek with qBible

"I can obey your words"

 January 21, 2021 Musing

Something interesting I have been noticing that Joseph has been saying, "I can obey your words (name of who he is speaking with)!" He says it with such enthusiasm and it puts an end to all potential or the beginning of strife.  It reminds me of a Proverb:

"It is an honour for a man to cease from strife: but every fool will be meddling." 

Proverbs 20:3 

And this verse:

"Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding." 

Proverbs 17:28

It brings forth the peaceable fruits of righteousness when he does this. The situation quickly goes from tension if he is initially resisting our words to great relief and joy when he humbles himself and simply says, "I can obey your words!" With all readiness to do exactly that.

There is much to be learned from his childlike example. We are called to be as children in this very sense... Humbling ourselves towards one another.

I asked Joseph's mom if she taught him to say that and she said, "no." It's just something he's come up with"on his own" lately. (Perhaps it's God-inspired:-)

This present society has taught our generation and the upcoming generations to be so haughty and contrary and to fight for selfish ambitions, to argue until you get your way.

But the way of the Lord is to be a servant.

What if we put to practice Joseph's example... Say with a family member who wants us to prepare food a certain way that we don't really want to, or to do something a certain way... What if instead of arguing we simply said with readiness to submit,

" I can obey your words Mom! :-)" or whomever we may be submitting to.

"I can obey your words husband"

" I can obey your words sister"

You'll notice an increase of peace in your relationships.

It's really not as hard as we think to submit to others. Just like it's really not that hard for a child when we tell a child to do something like, " Pick up your toys."

We make things harder in our own minds when we are self-willed rather than seeking to have the mind of Christ.

Joseph is earning honor to his name by humbling himself to avoid strife and simply yielding.

I hope we can be inspired to do the same.

We should be Christ-like examples and even a fool is esteemed as wise when he holds his peace... How much more should we who are taught of God be able to hold our tongue from strife.

I shared this musing with my Mother and this was her response:

"I'm 74 and still trying to learn that, unfortunately! If only I had learned it as a child. And held onto it. Because actually, I did learn it as a child. We certainly were not allowed to disobey our parents.

That’s something that really bugs me about some kids today. They seem to treat their parents with such disrespect and parents seem to accept that as normal!"

As adults and even as older siblings, we have the opportunity to restore what is being lost in society, by teaching children it's not ok to talk back, argue, and disrespect their elders (those older than them). We are actually instructed by those of Old to submit to one another "Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God." Ephesians 5:21

We should not only respect the aged but one another also.

THE BATTLE BELONGS TO THE LORD.

 January 9, 2021 Musing

We are all in a battle. The victory often comes through how we think about things. Not that thinking saves us. Christ is the Savior. But it's through Him that we learn to have sound thinking.

Often times the enemy is working to bring us into a state of offense or some kind of sin that starts in the mind.

Bitterness, unforgiveness, resentment, lust, competition, evil surmising, etc... These sins and others, take root through our thought processes...a key to not letting these weeds in the garden of our heart and in rooting them out is having the mind of Christ.

We must remember in all our temptations/ trials THE BATTLE BELONGS TO THE LORD.

If we lay hold of His grace and cry out to Him for the mind of Christ we are more than conquers through Him who loved us (Romans 8:37)... seeing our temptations and trials through His eyes gives us such a sweet victory. What was a mountain in our mind is brought low through the mind of Christ, difficulties suddenly become hurdles that are easily jumped...

The cross set before us becomes no longer a thing we loathe and fear but something we can embrace with joy through the Mind of Christ.

May We faithfully put on the whole armor (Ephesians 6:13-18) of God and surrender to Him, because THE BATTLE BELONGS TO THE LORD.

When we are tempted to think with our own mind we must take those thoughts captive and seek the LORD to see through the mind of Christ; through Him we have victory.

When we can be disciplined and surrendered to do this, we will notice an increase in JOY and VICTORY through CHRIST who STRENGTHENS us.

~MUCH LOVE ❤️

Here's a song you may enjoy:

Spend QUALITY time with your Children

Morning Musing from January 8, 2020

 Thinking about how important childhood is because it can have such a lasting effect on adulthood.

Parents, and anyone who cares for children take advantage of the opportunity to mold a life. The way you treat that child and how you interact with them will have a lasting effect.

Having ministered to many adults that are trying to find their way, trying to understand God and His will for their life, trying to connect with Him trying to make sense of this world...

I saw a connection between adults that were never really shown or taught the loving, Fatherly nature of God... Who didn't have parents that prayed with them, that didn't teach them how to talk to God as unto a loving Father, parents that didn't take the time to impress upon their children the reality and nature of God; a balance between His severity (righteous judgment against sin) and His amazing loving-kindness..... Children that didn't grow up knowing that God was there and they could take comfort in Him and that He really cares for them have a very hard time connecting with Him as adults, have a very hard time believing He loves them and forgives them. Their main motivation for seeking Him is fear of hell. They spend their days picking the petals of "He loves, He loves me not" depending on every spiritual failure or achievement they make.

It is a very sad reality many suffer.

No matter how someone grows up though, I know God is able to heal and make anyone whole.

God is able, but we are also able to take the opportunity He has given us to teach children while they are very young.

I remember when I was little I was taught a prayer to say before bed that went something like this:

"Now I lay me down to sleep, If I die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take."

I would also add my own thoughts and ask God to put a bubble over all my family, the house, and the yard ( so the dog would be protected too). I took much comfort in this prayer and seeing the bubble of protection in my imagination. I knew from a very young age God is love. I would talk to Him as a child and sing Him love songs. My sense of God was warm and comforting.

When I got older and fell into sin I knew that my sin distanced the Spirit of God from me and eventually that's what broke me. I couldn't bear the distance.

Even though my life was very secular. The little bit about God that I was taught and the prayers were foundational for my future and drawing me back to the God of Love that I experienced as a child.

Friends, invest in your children. The impact we have on children can last through eternity.

They don't need video games and amusement parks, toys, and entertainment. They learn to desire those things when they are rejected over and over again by adults who won't spend quality time with them. They need people to give them undivided attention, people that will take time to build a relationship with them founded in God and the nature of God. Don't just teach them with words, teach them in deed by being Christ-like. Take them to nursing homes to comfort the elderly and widows, teach them to show compassion to others. Teach them to invest in people rather than vain, selfish pursuits.

This world is working hard to capture the minds of your children. The children will shape the future. It's very important and the enemy knows how important. Don't leave the children to their own destructive imaginations. Invest your time in them, you won't regret it.

 January 8, 2021

I would like to add this video my husband recently made. I found it to be fitting with my musing. 

I would also like to add that I understand the struggle of thinking we have more important things to do than play a game with a child or give them undivided attention... Life's daily responsibilities can be overwhelming at times, and other things can feel more important, but every time you choose not to spend with your child has the potential to subtly turn into years of little to no quality time...no strong bond between you and your children...this child quickly grows into someone who is lost, confused and looking for love in the wrong places. Be willing to make dinner late, or discomfort yourself or give up other things you find important to get the quality time with your child/children. 

Children will shape future generations.

Children are a gift from God to you, He expects you to take proper care of them.

 Morning Musing September 2, 2018

Have you ever considered what a blessing it is to be able to look up at the sky and pray Abba Father?
Or to stand in the midst of natural wonders (the work of His hands) and marvel at the glory of His creation as you offer up a prayer?

Sadly many at this moment are behind 4 man-made walls, or in mental wards, or in captivity;

Men, women & children suffering in dreariness, darkness, cold floors, and walls.

Are you free to see the clouds in the sky, to breathe the outdoor air? Can you raise your arms as you stand in the midst of living greenery?

Doesn't it bring a special source of comfort to behold these works of His hands?

What a joy and liberty we should not take for granted or forget to partake of...what about just stepping outside in the evening to behold a dark and stary sky, to view the light of the moon...have you ever been alone in the midst of a wide-open space like a field in the dark of the night and looked up at the vastness of the stary sky and felt as small as an ant? Have you felt like a Great and mighty Creator of heaven and earth is beholding you as you stand alone there before Him?

I think more of us could benefit from stepping aside to do this. Go outside and talk to God if you have the liberty.

And as you pray remember those that are in bonds as being bound with them.

There is a verse that has stood out to me over the years...whether we are behind four walls or free to breathe the night air, many of us are prisoners of hope, a hope that maketh not ashamed by which if we continue therein we will be purified, even as He is pure.

"PRISONERS OF HOPE"

Zechariah 9:12, 17 "Turn you to the stronghold, ye prisoners of hope: even today do I declare that I will render double unto thee;

For how great is his goodness, and how great is his beauty! ..."

Romans 8:25  "But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it."

Whatever kind of captivity one may be in, whether a slave to sin or a slave behind four walls to wicked men...THE GOOD NEWS IS, the LORD came to set captives FREE, He is a stronghold, a light in our darkness, holdfast...

Psalms 62:8

"Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah."