Broken-hearted Captives Freed

This post is a continuation of a previous one on Isaiah 61:1-4. There is just so much in these verses, that it takes time to dig into them.


"to bind up the broken-hearted" (vs. 1)

It seems like the pain from having our hearts broken is a given in life. Not just the pain of a romantic relationship breaking up.

• The pain of any relationship ending.
• The pain of life not working out how we wanted.
• The pain of disappointment.
• The pain of life throwing some sort of challenge at you that isn't pleasant.
• The pain of someone doing or saying something to hurt you.

Life on earth breaks our hearts . . . often. We all get that.

When our hearts are broken, we have two choices about what we can do. The first choice we can make is to build a wall of protection around our broken hearts. We keep people out so they can't hurt us. We work hard at not getting emotionally involved with people or events to protect our hearts . . . or, at least, we think we're protecting ourselves. That becomes a lonely and isolated way to live.

Or, we can choose to allow Jesus to do exactly what this verse says He came to do . . . bind up our broken-hearts. We can take the pieces of our hearts to Jesus and allow Him to put the broken pieces back together. It is what He came to do and He will, if we let Him.

Have you taken Jesus the pieces of your broken heart so He can bind it back together?

What is keeping you from allowing Jesus to bind up your broken heart?

Will you let Him today?


"to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners" (vs. 1)

God wants His people to live in freedom and in the light. However, we have an enemy who desires to keep us in captivity and in the dark. Jesus came to bring us freedom and the light of the truth in our lives.

This is where we have to do something. Jesus declares it and He removes that which was holding us captives. But then we have to get up and walk. Jesus opens the prison doors that have kept us in captivity and breaks the chains, but we have to get up and walk out of the prison cell into the light.

Are there areas of your life where you need to allow Jesus to bring the freedom that comes from the light of the truth?

Will you let Him today?

Are there areas of your life where Jesus has freed you and not you need to get up and walk out of that prison cell?

Will you do that today?


To read the first post on this passage, click here.