LAWFUL CAPTIVES

“Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered?”  (Isaiah 49:23 KJV)

I once had a vision as I prayed one morning. In this vision, I beheld a sister that I knew of step willingly into a coffin and stayed there. The coffin was closed but not bolted. She kept smiling and seemed unaware of her predicament. As I prayed for wisdom and interpretation of the vision, God spoke to me the word “lawful captive.”  I quickly opened my bible and in Isaiah 49:23, I saw the meaning of this vision. The sister here is a lawful captive.

We become lawful captives when choices we made have taken us into situations and consequences that have made us bound. The captive seems to have accepted their situation and are often toying with those consequences. They are usually oblivious of the dangers they are in and cannot or maybe even be seeking their freedom.

This is why lawful captives are a real case for our God to deal with. The bible described these people also as the “prey of the mighty.” It means they are captured, and the captor is sitting over them, waiting to simply consume them. You might have made choices that are hindering your worship of God. Your marriage could have been built on a wrong foundation—fornication-ridden—and when you reflect over them, you simply feel helpless: in fact, captured. You could have a disease in your body which arise from choices you have made and you have accepted it. Some financial choices you made in the past—today has launched you into such debt that you cannot see a way of escape. All these are lawful captive and do not despair for these in hope.

In Isaiah 49:25, God assures us that “…even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered.” God is able, willing and ready to deliver you. He does it that your captives will know the sovereignty of your God (Isaiah 49:26). The enemy will see your God as Saviour and Redeemer. Our God is willing to help you. Believe it. In response to this, begin to surrender yourself to God, accept his invitation for your redemption and trust that he is able to deliver you. God loves you too much and it is well with you, Amen.