Hog Tied

How is it that I feel hog tied? Is it possible to be bound by invisible rope? Is it plausible to believe that someone has secretly run circles round me while I was unaware, tying me from head to toe, rendering me immobilized? 

I can see my hands moving across this keyboard and my feet periodically tap the floor beneath my desk. I am, most certainly, free. And yet Lord, I am waiting for you to cut and snip away at what keeps me in place. I want to stay and wait patiently but this is the hardest part for me. I confess, sometimes I think nothing will happen unless I make it happen… 

Yesterday, God urged me to be firm, to stand. I needed some quiet time with him and I opened my Bible. Psalm 37, one of my comforts from many years ago, opened up. God knew what I needed before I sought the answers he has for me:

“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret …” (Psalm 37:7). 

When I feel hog tied, I have to admit, I don’t fret, I wrestle and fight and try to Houdini my way out of my metaphorical straitjacket. Being still does not appeal either. Energetically, stillness and fretting are not my go to’s, and perhaps they aren’t yours either dear one? As I continued reading Psalm 37, I felt as though he had written it for me, my very own chapter in The Bible.

This Psalm is about the wicked and the righteous. It is about rewards and punishments. It admonishes and encourages. Thematically, it is about trusting in God for deliverance from bondage by unseen hands:

“And the Lord shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him” (Psalm 37:40). 

Let me be very clear. I want to take action; I don’t want to wait. I want to bust out of this hog tied massive mess of ropes and be in control and as I type, I see temptation all around me. I see that I can cut the ropes and clear them myself and be wildly unrestricted. I have a wish list of items I would like to check off as done… you need not read them here, because I am assuming dear reader, that you have your very own list too? You can relate, can’t you, to what I am sharing? You too, want to fulfill what is frustrated. You too want to run ahead of Gods plan for you: be still and do not fret? These seem impossible requests. I want to rush in…

But something stops me in my tracks, and last night, I got confirmation in verse 23 of Psalm 37:

I see what is happening in my life. I am part human, part celestial being. I have one foot in the world and the other in heavenly realms. My desires burn hot for what my senses crave and my soul is on fire for the ways of the Lord. The ropes are imaginary… I am not hog tied, I am confounded! 

So here is my conclusion, if you have stayed with me to this point. I am so not God! I have myopic vision that cannot be trusted while God, sees everything, everyone all things and people, all of the time. He knows who I should meet, what I should do, talk about, engage in… he knows what is best and what is impossibly horrible for me! He also knows what impetuosity perpetuates! He knows me and I hazard an educated guess here, that he knows you too. 

So, again so… while I want to do things my way, I have decided to trust in his way as The Way. All those ropey ropes have been cut away by The Sword of the Spirit, The Word of God. Psalm 37 gave me the freedom to trust, to stay firm and stand, to be still and wait patiently on him. 

Now dear reader… what has you hog tied?
What has you bound and immobilized?
Have you gone to scripture?
Have you asked him to set you free, cut through the ropes that hold you captive?
Is it time for you to seek the wisdom of your Father?

Go now, ask him to untie your straightjacket… he is waiting for you.