Freed from the Net
You may never view one of those animal rescue videos in the same way again.
Our scripture verse, Psalm 31:4, says, “You take me out of the net they have hidden for me; you are my refuge.” This is David speaking to God. The psalm from which this verse comes is a plea for God’s assistance and exaltation of God’s steadfast love. In verse four, David acknowledges the Lord’s saving power displayed in his own life, how the Almighty takes him out of the snares set by his enemies and the world.
It is a beautiful, exciting, and heart-lifting thing to see animals released from nets and traps. People love seeing turtles freed from fishing nets, crews of divers loosing whales from netting, and stranded dolphins being rescued. A shark being saved can even be a pleasure. But consider them all examples, visual illustrations, of Psalm 31:4.
How beautiful it is when God frees a person long caught in the enemy’s net, in the trap laid by the world! In the parable of the lost sheep, Jesus teaches that a shepherd rejoices when he finds just one lost sheep. Then the Lord says, “Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.” All of heaven, like millions upon millions of viewers of animal rescues, sees God’s amazing rescues of sinners lost and trapped in the world. All of heaven rejoices at the sight. How gloriously must heaven cheer when a life wrapped in and dragged down by the weight of evil’s netting is freed to rise into the life that the Creator always intended? Those must be the best videos ever!
