Psalm 102 : 19 -20
For he looked down from his holy height; From heaven the Lord gazed upon the earth, To hear the groaning of the prisoner, to set free those who were doomed to death.
A man has brutally murdered his children. He is declared guilty and given the death sentence. He is doomed to death - there is no escaping his execution. The man is even guilty among his own admonition yet still cries for freedom because he is truly sorry. Would the judge set him free just because of his cries? Certainly not, we would say that was unfair. Yes Psalm 102: 19 - 20 says God does exactly that. We find here that he who holds the key to death and Hades will show mercy to those who deserve to be chained to sin. He is a Judge who waits to free the murderers, adulterers, and liars, which we all are at heart (Matthew 5). I noticed first that the text says the Lord looks down. He looks down which literally means that he bends forward to see. He bends forward from his holy height, which is his sanctuary or perhaps his throne in heaven. Next the Lord gazes upon the earth. This means he looks intently or searches out the earth. In the next verse we find shows us eh is seeking for prisoners. He is coming closer for it now says that He hears the groaning of the prisoner. The groan the Lord hears is not just any groan. According to the Greek it is a deep cry, a shriek. It is a cry of anguish and sorrow. This prisoner is doomed to death which is literally is translated appointed to execution. This prisoner was literally a son of death. Death is inevitable. Yet the Lord who has defeated death has already proved that he is stronger than death. The prisoner is abut to be hung and the Lord seeing the prisoner is repentant responds be setting him free. He takes the key to open the chains of the prisoner who drove the nails through His skin. He sets free him who was a son of death and makes him an heir with Christ in righteousness. It seems to me that every time a man or women comes to the kingdom is a reminder the Lord is stronger than death. He has already taken our execution upon Himself. He looks upon those who would have been executed, He gazed upon them, he heard their penitent cries and then he came down to their level by touching their hearts with the key of the Holy Spirit set them free for eternity. What a personal God. Lord, I will look down the halls of this prison; I will search intently for the prisoners in these halls; I will listen for their groans that I might be your prison warden when you are ready to set the prisoners free from hell. Thank you for saving me from the execution by taking my place. I want to be personal just as You are a Personal God. A time was just brought to my mind when you, my Christ, read out of Isaiah and said you had been anointed to preach deliverance to the captives. How strongly I feel I should be preaching deliverance to the captives. How I ache with the burden for their lost souls. I know you have brought me here to Germany for a greater purpose. Continue to show me how I might better reach the military member in the dorms who are prisoners bound by sin.
