Oh the Freedom

By: Guest Author, Sarah Vander Sanden

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Psalm 62: 5-7

This verse is often read during times of trouble. It reminds us of the infinite hope that we can find in knowing and trusting the goodness of our creator. It is a proclamation of the strength that we possess as vessels of the Holy Spirit. It is undeniably powerful. As our God is alive, so is His word….recently I read this verse and something different stood out to me. The words, “my honor depends on God,” resounded in my head. Those five words are transformational! My honor depends on God. In my greatest effort-on my very best day-I am not worthy of honor without the blood of my Jesus cleansing me free from my sin. 

About a month ago, one of my sons (there are 4;), was caught in a lie. Initially, he tried to hide it. Cover it up as a miscommunication or unintentional. As The Spirit prompted me to push in for the truth, he eventually confessed to his motives and the lies that were tangled up within. At first, I was heartbroken that he had lied to me. Lies are so dangerous. I just want so much better for him. After we sorted through the truth and he apologized in tears multiple times, he said these words to me, “Mom, this is one of the best days of my life”. “What do you mean?” I questioned. “Well, he said, now I’m free…I don’t have anything to hide. I don’t even care what my consequences are”. Mind blown! Instead of being fearful of a future life of lies, I was now standing face to face with the shimmering beauty of a repented heart. A heart that not only brought his failures to the Lord but allowed God to then refill him with grace and HONOR. He didn’t wallow in how inadequate he was. He didn’t try to tell me or God how unworthy he was. He opened his hands and heart to the one he knows can do what he can’t….he accepted forgiveness for falling short and then got right back up and ran in the honor that was bestowed on him the day he allowed Jesus to become his savior. He walked with the honor of knowing he was God’s son and nothing he could do could change that. His honor had not been stolen or lost that day. For me, it was such an example of what to do when we fall down and how our identity and honor can’t be shaken if they are rooted in Christ. To receive so readily…..to trust that He can and will fulfill His promises….my mom heart can’t express the gratitude I felt in that moment that He knew exactly what to do when he fell down and who could fix it. When Jesus tells us to become like children, (Matthew 18:1-5) I think it has much less to do with being “care free and wild” and much more to do with our choice to receive His promises…to get up and walk in them…. to allow our honor to be tied to His worthiness and not our own. To simply receive what he has given. What immense rest can be found here… Oh the freedom!!!!