Trapped!

When I was growing up back in the last century (wow, that is hard to say!), there were a plethora of disaster movies that came out. The one that made me the most anxious was The Poseidon Adventure. People went on a cruise expecting a little adventure but got way more than they bargained for when their ship, the Poseidon, capsized after being hit by a giant rogue wave. Those on the ship became trapped and needed to find a way out all while their upside down cruise ship was sinking. Although everyone knew the movie was the fantasy of some screenwriter, it still made people’s anxiety level peak.

A movie of more recent years, and one that is a true story, is 127 Hours. It produces a heavy dose of fear and anxiety as the audience watches a man, out on a hike in a canyon in southeastern Utah, get trapped as his arm gets wedged between a boulder and a canyon wall. He was utterly alone and had no way out and had to go to very extreme measures to free himself if he wanted to live.    

There are not many sensations so oppressive as that of feeling trapped, unable to escape the bonds or shackles that have wrapped themselves around us. Whether the chains of entrapment are of our own doing or created by circumstances beyond our control, the results can be devastating to our mental, physical, and spiritual well-being. It is the feeling of the loss of freedom and autonomy that we fear the most.

What can we do if we are feeling trapped? How can we relieve the anxiety that has built up and is beginning to erode from within?

There is an account in Ezra that may help. Exiles from the nation of Israel were returning to Jerusalem. Ezra found out that, in opposition to God’s command, some had intermarried with nations that God had strictly forbade them to marry. In his prayer to God for forgiveness, Ezra states, “For we are slaves. Yet our God has not forsaken us in our slavery…” (Ezra 9:9 English Standard Version). Ezra recognized their current condition and did not deny their circumstances. Yet, even in the midst of those circumstances, he acknowledged God’s presence with them!

If we feel that we are in a situation that cannot be escaped, then we need to turn our eyes and hearts to God. Recognizing and acknowledging that God is with us, regardless of the circumstances, will set our souls free from the entrapment of anxiety, fear, and apprehension.

We may feel like we are undeserving of God’s forgiveness. Well, we ARE undeserving, but that is where God’s grace and mercy come into play. We will be forgiven and have the burden lifted from us if we humbly repent. Matthew Henry, a 17th century minister and Bible commentator, states it beautifully in his commentary on Ezra 9: “But let this be the comfort of true penitents, that though their sins reach the heavens, God’s mercy is in the heavens.”