I tossed and turned as dreaded feelings of captivity washed over me. I pulled the covers tighter as the nightmare consumed me — the imaginary chains yanking on my ankles, keeping me bound in dark and painful circumstances.
The Dreaded Feelings of Captivity
My circumstances were hard to understand.
Confusing.
They seemed to have no end.
Under the cover of sleep, I asked the Lord to lift me above the fray, to free me from these feelings of captivity. I imagined His strong arm stretching forth from heaven and taking hold of my hand that groped desperately for Him.
And then the sweetest thing happened.
My spirit stirred.
The Lord allowed me to see things from His perspective.
Although a dream, the imagery came with vivid clarity.
In my mind’s eye, the Lord hoisted me onto a massive rock high upon a mountain overlooking the valley below.
The view was gorgeous. We sat down together. My legs dangled over the side like a child exploring the heights with her Father.
The mountain ridges rolled in layers of blue and purple on the horizon. Far, far below lay the valley — the very valley from which He lifted me.
From the rock, the valley appeared lush, not desolate as it had seemed when I was drowning in feelings of captivity. Mountain streams trickled down the slopes feeding the river that coursed through the vegetation, quenching its thirst.
From the Height of the Mountain, the Valley Wasn’t Desolate at All
From high on the rock I couldn’t see the thistles and thorns I had stumbled through the day before.
And from the rock, I realized the muddy pit I had been stuck in was nestled in a quiet cove with a meadow of wildflowers just around the bend — magnificent beauty barely out of view from the miry clay.
While in the valley, the glorious colors of the landscape blanketing my path had no impact. I couldn’t appreciate the vitality of life all about me.
But from high above — from God’s perspective — I could see the beauty of the valley. I could see how the base of the mountains merged into the valley’s edge in one continuous stroke of God’s hand.
There wasn’t a separation of the two.
There was a joining, leading the traveler from one landscape to another.
The valley never looked so lovely. I could see it as part of a whole. I could see God’s hand of provision in the flowing of the river and His gift of grace in the beauty of the wildflowers.
Sitting with the Lord on the mountaintop, I understood His care as He oversees the details of my life.
And for that I am thankful.
Morning sun began to stream through the curtains. I stretched and rubbed my eyes.
I Pulled Off the Dreaded Feelings of Captivity and Breathed in Freedom
Throwing back the covers, I sat up and thought about the goodness of the Lord. In my spirit, I pulled off the dreaded feelings of captivity and breathed in freedom from imaginary chains binding me to painful circumstances.
Things in life are not always as they appear.
“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” ~ 2 Corinthians 5:7
Selah
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Sweet blessings to you,
