Friday, March 2, 2012

Every Captive Free

I vividly remember when I first heard Every Captive Free. I was sitting on the floor at OnethingNJ 2010 and Matt Gilman sang it as the offering song. I sat there and as I listened to the lyrics, they penetrated my heart so deeply…I had no idea what to do. I had never felt such a thick stirring in my heart and I just didn’t know what to do with it. I was just confused. So I sat there…and as best as I knew how…I listened and received from the Lord.
For the spirit of the Lord God is upon me
Because He has anointed me to preach good news
Take away all of your sorrow and your mourning
To give the oil of joy and a garment of praise
For I have seen you in your captivity
And I will open up every prison door
So arise and shine for your light has come
And my glory is rising upon you
And I am dancing over you
And I am singing over you, songs of deliverance
And I will set every captive free
You will be with me…
FOR YOU ARE MINE.
            It wasn’t until months later that I found out that this song was based in Isaiah. And it wasn’t until a month or so after that did I swallow my pride, admit I didn’t know the song was based in Isaiah and asked where it was(at this point it was almost a year after I had first heard Every Captive Free). Indeed, Isaiah 61 :1-3  says that
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor, he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion-to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit.”

I remember thinking, “This is me. This is total me. This is totally my life. Oh my gosh, this is me. I never knew this was in here but this is totally my life.” God quietly said to me, “Alicia, I have been working with you for almost 6 years to bring you to the point of fulfillment of a promise that you never knew existed.”
He’s so faithful.
I am currently in a season that involves God working through hurts and burdens that were a result of the death of my Dad 7 years ago(today). I really thought I had worked through everything. I really thought I was done. I found out in September that I wasn’t. That’s an entirely different blog post for an entirely different time. Right now, I’m working through a lot of the grief that the teenage Alicia couldn’t deal with because it was too much for her. It’s a season full of tears and pain, but one that I’m not facing a lone.
I know this season will end with new revelations about His love and His plan for me. He promised He would heal me. He promised. He promised He would give me a garment of praise instead of mourning. I know that’s exactly what He’s doing, even as I write.
About a month ago, I was home for Nathan’s NJHSA Winter Concert. At the end of the night, Jeremy, Grace, Kristen and I got to pray over our friend Daniel, and then all of a sudden it just turned into a prayer ministry time that lasted for at LEAST an hour. Mrs. G(my high school drama teacher & Daniel’s mom)joined in  near the end. As Dan prayed over Kristen, Mrs. G, Jeremy&Grace prayed over me. Mrs. G said, “I see threads of gold. Yes…I see these golden threads. You sew these golden threads into these dark and gray situations because you said “yes” to Him.” At the end of the prayer she hugged me and said, “Yeah, clear as day, I just saw these golden threads. I don’t know what that’s about.” I laughed and said, “I’ll let you know when I know.” (Note, all of this happened in the middle of a parking lot in the freezing cold…IT WAS AWESOME!)
I prayed into it and God connected the dots for me as I wrote out scripture in the background of a piece of art I created (based on a picture that God gave me over the summer of my garment of praise).
“Listen O daughter, consider&give ear: Forget your people and your father’s house. The King is enthralled by your beauty; honor Him, for He is your Lord. All glorious is the princess with her chamber; HER GOWN IS INTERWOVEN WITH GOLD…” (Psalm 45:10-11&13)
He’s bringing me to the fulfillment of a promise that I never knew existed. He’s setting every captive free, and that includes me. Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil….for you are with me.  

2 comments:

  1. Oh, Alicia, what a beautiful work God is doing in you because you CHOOSE to let Him! I am proud to know you.

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  2. Li, I was listening to Every Captive Free when I wrote my admissions essay for Eastern:) Also, I was just watching Lou Engle's message from OneThing and he was talking about birthing something and I thought of you. God's got biiiiig plans for your life, my wonderful, obedient friend!
    <3 Your Elizabeth

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