I read the first few verses yesterday and in my "get it done, mark if off my list" mentality ... it was more dry than sawdust in the hot summer sun. Today, I made it all the way through the first half of the first verse and God totally had my heart. Yip, just twelve words in the New King James Version and my heart and knees were buckling. The Voice version brought it home even more:
"Then I looked again and saw all the oppression that happens under the sun. I saw the tears of the oppressed, and no one offered to help and comfort them. The oppressors exercise all the power, while the powerless have no one to help and comfort them." Ecclesiastes 4:1 (VOICE)
I have experienced attacks of oppression in my life. I was in the grips of some far longer then is comfortable to admit but thankfully that has been repented from and in my past. The more deeper I go after knowing Him and studying His promises and how to walk through life ... the harder it is to settle for the smallest taste of discouragement, depression, oppression - whatever descriptive word you want to put to it. It is no longer deceiving to me like a warm, snugly blanket to wrap oneself up in tightly and hunker in for a long rest. As I grow in understanding and awareness my body, mind, emotions and spirit have become open to the heaviness, confining bondage of this unhealthy yoke. It's deceptive appeasing glow is no longer. Where I am now in my growth journey, even a moment of discouragement is very heavy on my heart and spirit. It's very stifling. Sucks the air out of my being faster than a helium balloon on the loose. My inner discomfort is like a high pressure squeal of a tire with a slice in it as it loses its air or at times, like a tire with a bulge that grows bursting forth releasing everything inside and shredding the outside to bits instantaneously. Today, I am even more thankful the awareness of and constant preventative maintenance to reduce/eliminate accepting the oppression into and upon my life.
It is written in Galatians 3:13 that we have been redeemed from the curse of the law.
But Christ has bought us out from under the doom of that impossible system by taking the curse for our wrongdoing upon himself. For it is written in the Scripture, “Anyone who is hanged on a tree is cursed” (as Jesus was hung upon a wooden cross). Galatians 3:13 (TLC)It is also written in Genesis 1:16 that we have been honored with spoken authority over all.
God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” Genesis 1:16 (WEB)So then since God's word is truth (John 17:17 NKJV, "Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth." ), we do not have to open the door and receive even a taste of this oppression because unlike those who don't have the hope and promise of God, who have no one to help and comfort them. We have a merciful, forgiving God of hope, grace, unending love that is always with us waiting for us to invite Him in to our life and situation, allowing Him to comfort, and help no matter what choices (good or bad) that we have made. He sweeps in, cleans us up, cloaks us with His gifts and sends us out as royalty at a red carpet event.
Being a parent, I glimpse at new levels constantly God's heart in all that He eagerly desires to do and is ready to do for us when we ask, allow Him to do and willingly receive from Him. I know the love in my heart for my sons (which is nothing compared to God's love for them or me!) and how I want the best for my sons and desire to give my best to help and comfort them on their journey of expansion of their created purpose in life. Oh how much more is the vastness of God's love and ability to do for each of us.
PONDER POINTS:
So now my two part accountability of this insight.
1) As Believers, how often do we open the door to the enemy's will and step into this oppression? Choose to wrap ourselves up in it and wallow for a moment, day, week, month or longer?
and even more devastating to my heart and being ...
2) How many people are in our lives that do not have God as their comforter and helper who are unaware of the hope and comfort that is theirs just by accepting and believing? What am I doing to come along side them? Give them comfort, hope and help?
Are my steps purposed to comfort and help as God comforts and helps me? Even if its a heartfelt word of encouragement, a handshake, a hug, a kind smile, looking them in the eyes and letting them know they are seen by someone ... whatever we're lead to do ... do I DO it? Do I DO it with a loving, cheerful heart?
What has someone done for you during a time of oppression that gave you the glimpse of hope, breath of much needed air that helped you carry on and make it through the icky, sticky, stinky, muck?
Please share in the comments below.
Sometimes we just need some promptings to get our creative juices flowing in greater degrees. Sometimes we need a perspective shift, an awareness of different love languages other then our own to expand us to reach out and love others in their language. The amazing thing that gets me every time ... when we open heartily do for others ... He always blesses us and does for us so much more.
Be blessed on your journey and may you walk even more in His fullness for your life.
