May 23

deliverance from hostile hands, that we may serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our lives. — Luke 1:74-75 BSB

The central point of all true religion is to be brought, by the blessed Spirit, into that place where we can serve the living God free from the guilt, bondage, darkness, doubt, and fear that often plague our minds. These spiritual enemies are the worst threats to our soul’s peace. Yet, even though they disrupt our peace, they are mercifully overruled by God for our spiritual good. They teach us to recognize that our help comes only from the Lord, stripping us of any reliance on ourselves and bringing us to the place where God meets us in mercy, sheds His love abroad in our hearts, and reveals a precious Christ to us.

We have no reason to thank bondage, guilt, the law, or sin and Satan for the work that God uses for our good. But without experiencing these dead works and the bondage and guilt they bring, we could never fully understand what it means to have our consciences purged by the blood of Christ and to serve the living God. There is a wise purpose on God’s part in allowing His children to be vexed and troubled in this way.

It is not God’s revealed will that His children should spend so much of their time in darkness, doubt, and fear. He has given us the glorious gospel and set before us everything in Christ that we need for comfort and relief. He has promised to send His Holy Spirit to testify of Christ, and His word is filled with promises and invitations suited to every situation we face. Yet, His secret will and purpose often involve allowing us to walk through paths of darkness and desolation. Why? So that we may come to value the precious liberty of the gospel, to know more deeply what Christ has done to save us from the depths of the fall, and to feel more indebted to the riches of God’s free and sovereign grace.

Through these trials, we come to personally experience the blessings of gospel mercies, as God makes them known to our souls by His divine power. This deepens our understanding of Christ and strengthens our faith, as we learn to trust in the riches of His grace and to rest in the liberty of the gospel, free from the bonds that once held us captive.