Paul clearly evidences God’s power. Sometimes when I read his letters, I picture myself next to him, chained to the stone wall of a small, dark cell. I can feel despair closing in through the moist walls, the frightening silence interrupted only by the distant din of life on the outside. Then I read Paul’s words, and that image transforms into a vision of strength in which the power of God enables me to stand up and walk, unfettered, into the sunlit streets.
As I boldly step into the world with a newfound courage, I feel in my soul the truth I have just read: “The word of God is not chained.” I can breathe deeply, knowing that through Christ, I am not chained. I am wonderfully free and whole.
Yet with each step, I exert a little energy. I exhale some of that deep breath. I engage in the tasks of everyday life, and I begin to run out of steam. Before I realize it—and sooner than I like to admit—I find myself back in those chains. The house needs attention; the children need attention; my tasks require attention. Suddenly I look at my to-do list, which I never seem to complete, and I feel burdened by my inability to keep up. I am out of breath and out of energy. I am empty.
The good news is that I am never out of God’s love. I wear myself out doing “my best to present [myself] to God as one approved by him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed,” but in that very effort I forget that it is not my effort that warrants God’s approval. The unbounded word of God has already granted me that. God’s grace is sufficient.
When do you feel the most free? When do you feel empty?