Today’s Scripture: Psalm 77:1-20
14 You are the God who works wonders; you have displayed your might among the peoples.
15 With your strong arm you redeemed your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. Selah“Now, my debt is paid. It is paid in full by the precious blood that my Jesus spilled. Now, the curse of sin has no hold on me. Whom the Son sets free, oh, is free indeed.”
~ Man of Sorrows, Hillsong United
Kayla Mueller, American aid worker and activist in the Middle East, was taken hostage in August 2013, the month she celebrated her twenty-fifth birthday. Militants abducted her as she travelled from the Turkish border to Aleppo, Syria to provide aid to Syrian refugees. Held in captivity for 18 months, Mueller was confirmed dead on February 10, 2015 through communication from her captors to her family.
In a letter Mueller wrote to her family in early 2014, she recounted, “I have been shown in darkness, light…have learned that even in prison, one can be free.” Her letter details her surrender to God, her gratitude in the midst of trials, and her trust in the works of the Lord. It bears striking similarity to the frustrated Psalmist’s words in Psalm 77:
Has God forgotten to be merciful?
Has He in anger withheld his compassion?Then I thought, “To this I will appeal:
The years when the Most High stretched out his right hand.
I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
Yes, I will remember the miracles of long ago.”
As Easter approaches, may we be reminded of our unconditional freedom in Christ, even and especially when we experience imprisonment of body, mind, or circumstance. Whom the Son sets free is free, indeed.
[The image and full text of Kayla Mueller’s letter can be found here.]