The Great Escape

by Kathy Lay

This Week’s Verse: Proverbs 29:6--Evil people are trapped by sin, but the righteous escape, shouting for joy. (NLT)

Devotion:
Have you ever seen those video clips of illusionists or magicians being contorted into a painful-looking position then tied up, locked up, and submerged into a plexi-glass tub full of water? I’ve held my breath along with them as I anxiously waited for them to break free and emerge gasping but victorious.

Or who can forget poor little Jenny from Forrest Gump? Hiding in the cornfield from her abusive father, she pleaded “Dear God, make me a bird. So I could fly far. Far far away from here.” Like a magician, she too longed to break free from what bound her and petitioned God to work a miracle to set her free. If you watched the rest of the movie you know that it took lots of years and lots of mistakes before Jenny finally allowed herself to be loved and set free.

God is all about an escape plan. A much-loved quote from Jeremiah 29:11 tells us that God’s plans are to prosper us, not to harm us. So it makes sense that if we are in harm’s way, the Lord has already mapped out an escape route. Look at the Israelites (repeatedly!). Look at Daniel in the lions’ den or Jonah in the fish. There’s Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace. There’s Paul and Silas in prison, people imprisoned in deformed or diseased bodies, and people captive to demons. And then there’s Jesus who escaped death so that we can too.

See, God specializes in great escapes. He gives us access to them through righteousness, as indicated in this week's verse. In each of the above examples the escape-ees demonstrated righteous obedience in humility and submission, praising the One who wanted to set them free all along.

He wants to set you free too. While pursuing righteousness anticipate your great escape, bursting forth victorious!

Precious Father, thank you for breaking us out of captivity! Help us to seek you in passionate humility so that our escape brings You glory and our freedom bears fruit.

Application:
Captivity cripples activity. God wants you free so He can use you to further His kingdom. What’s got you bound? Pursuing God’s righteousness with your whole heart will open the door to an escape plan that’s already in the works for you.

Power Verses:
I Cor. 10:13, “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.”(NASB—emphasis mine)
Psalm 124:7, “We escaped like a bird from a hunter’s trap. The trap is broken, and we are free!” (NLT)
Proverbs 12:13, “An evil man is ensnared by the transgression of his lips, but the righteous will escape from trouble.”(NASB)