Calling on the Name of the Lord Sets Us Free

It was a hot day at Park Gardens Church of Christ in San Juan, Puerto Rico.  The louvered windows were open to their maximum angle and the metal blades of the ceiling fans overhead whirred at a rate that could have launched a single engine aircraft when I first heard the words of a song that forever changed my heart.  Jeff and I spent the first two years of our marriage in Puerto Rico.  His work took us into an adventure that would shape our young marriage and offer us a rich source of growth and perspective.   We were blessed to be a part of an English speaking, Caribbean congregation.  At first it was quite an adjustment being the only “specks of salt in a whole shaker of pepper”, but soon enough we grew to love and be loved by our brothers and sisters.  One of the many things we enjoyed about worshipping with the congregation was the singing.   

The song that had such great impact was an old spiritual, “By the Rivers of Babylon”.  It is actually a combination of Psalms 137 and 19 and is found in most song books as “Psalm 137”.  The words are as follows:
“By the rivers of Babylon…
where we sat down.
And there we wept,
as we remembered Zion.
O, the wicked!
Carried us away to captivity,
required from us a song.
How can we sing the Lord’s
song in a strange land?
So, let the words of our mouths
and the meditation of our hearts
be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord.”  

I myself have never felt the pain of physical enslavement or a lack of freedom to do as I will on a daily basis. The lyrics of the psalmist and the singing of my brothers and sisters conveyed a deep sadness, yet a longing to never forget the power of God or the freedom that comes through calling on his name.  Many of the congregants gathered that day were a generation or less away from enslavement themselves.  I grew teary-eyed at the realization that to many of them this song was both an anthem of freedom in Christ as well as freedom from slavery.  The passion that filled the congregation when we sang this hymn has stayed with my husband and me over 10 years later and is easily recalled when we sing it today. However, the message behind the passion seems to be needed in my life more today than ever before.  It is a call for God’s rescue and freedom.   

Much like the washing machine I seem to daily attend to, I can easily become caught in the spin cycle.  Living life in a reactionary mode and permitting the attitude of my heart to be affected by others and the circumstances around me can become a bad habit.  We all need God’s recue and freedom.  I start with good intentions, I want to help.  So I fix this, organize that, prepare another meal and comfort a friend.  But then the winds pick up and the waves get a little higher.  I fight back and paddle harder.   I teach the classes, and hold bible studies, and try to have all the answers when my family is in crises or when something else goes wrong.  The chaos builds and life is once again chaotic and overwhelming.  So I work harder, do more, and yet it seems that, all the things I’m doing for God seem to be going wrong!   And then I remember Gal 5:1, “It is for freedom that Christ has set you free.” 

What is that freedom?  As we open our hearts to the message of the savior, we come full circle to the idea of slavery.  Turns out we are human and despite our best efforts we will serve something.  Listen to what Paul teaches in Rom 6.  After laying out the simple message of the gospel (6:1-5); Paul goes on to simply say:  Who will you serve?  Verses 16 – 18 say:
“Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. 18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.”  

So how does the idea of freedom in Christ and being slaves to righteousness fit together?  Simply.  We all know that on our best day, when we think we are in control and everything is up to us, we mess it up.  It is when we give up control and give ourselves over to God’s love and direction that we are able to be free.  Let God be the provider, let God be the leader, let God be the forgiver, let God be the master, let God be the protector, let God be the healer.   He’s God, He can handle it.    

Prayer:  “Dear God, pierce my ear.  Give me the strength to let go.  Give me the strength to take hold of your freedom.”   

Dana and Jeff Jaworski
Anchor Point, AK