In the Land of Captivity

One of my husband’s favorite movies is called Papillon. It’s a partially true story about a French convicted murderer who is sentenced to imprisonment for life at the infamous Devil’s Island penal colony, known for being a disease-infested place of extremely harsh conditions, almost certain death, and certainly of no escape. With quite some ingenuity, Papillon does escape (after 14 years of imprisonment, a good deal of which was spent in solitary confinement), and the movie ends on that note, not telling us that he escaped only to be imprisoned again in a Venezuelan prison for another number of years, before he was finally set free.

When I think of captives, the first image that comes to my mind is Papillon and the horrible conditions of his captivity. But, of course, I needn’t rely on a movie for such an image. Voice of the Martyrs magazine is filled with details of terrible tragedies that befall Christian prisoners and martyrs in so many foreign countries still today.

The point, here, however, is that captivity brings to mind an image of suffering, various kinds of suffering, to be sure, but suffering nonetheless. And as Solomon’s prayer states, sometimes the place of captivity is far away (like Devil’s Island) and sometimes it is near (perhaps in the town one lives in). It is the captivity that is near that has always fascinated me about this prayer. And it’s because I believe that many of us are captives in a place as near as…. our own minds and hearts. Certainly can’t get much closer than that, can we? And Solomon’s prayer indicates that it is God who allows us to be imprisoned in that captivity (whether near or far). So, I want to explore that for a moment.

In chapter 6, verses 36 and 37, Solomon says: “If they sin against thee…and thou be angry with them, and deliver them over before their enemies, and they (the enemies) carry them away captives unto a land far off or near…yet IF they bethink themselves in the land where they are carried captive, and turn and pray unto thee in the land of their captivity, saying, We have sinned, we have done amiss, and have dealt wickedly…” I’ll stop there for now.

So, sin enters into the person’s life (always begins in the mind, doesn’t it?) because of some rebellion against God (symptoms of an ungrateful heart?), God is angered and turns the person over to the enemy (over to the lust that first entered into the mind and formed the sin), and they are carried away captive (unable to escape…from the lust). And if we compare the first part of Solomon’s prayer with what Paul says in Romans 1:18-32, I believe Paul is giving us an excellent picture of what that captivity looks like and even more details on how it comes about:

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness….because that when they knew God they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened….wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts…..and even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity, whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant-breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful…they which commit such things are worthy of death…”

Horrible as that sounds, I have to say that I’ve been there. I believe everyone has in one area or another of all those things listed. Perhaps, though, many have turned and repented BEFORE being taken away CAPTIVE & UNABLE TO ESCAPE, for that is possible. In fact, that is what God is hoping we will choose to do.

But the best part of that prayer of Solomon’s is the second part: “…yet, IF they bethink themselves…”

So, IF we become captive, unable to escape, what will happen next?

What happens next is that after some period of time (usually the length of time is determined by how long it takes one to become sick and tired of one’s captivity…for some that is a short period, for others it is, sadly, many years or worse…NEVER!)…well, anyway, after that certain period of time, IF one smartens up (I’m pretty sure that’s what “bethink themselves” means), then all that is necessary is to:

Verse 38: “return to thee with all their heart and with all their soul…and pray…”

And then? And then God responds. As He always does to a humble heart that seeks His face and turns from wicked ways in repentance and in prayer to Him. And then God forgives them and He heals them and they are released from captivity.

This is what is so remarkable to me about Solomon’s prayer and God’s response. It speaks directly to those areas in our lives where we have been taken captive by lusts…whether that lust is a Starbucks latte that the budget cannot afford, but we are convinced we cannot do without, or whether that lust is drugs or alchohol that are destroying lives as we sit back hopelessly and watch the destruction happen. There is no need for hopelessness in either case! God is ready to both forgive and to HEAL the captive one…now!

We just need to turn to Him and acknowledge our sin and take that first step away from that object of lust….and trust in Him to do the rest! That’s what the prayer of Solomon speaks to me, that’s what God’s response speaks to me.

Oh! And remember Paul saying that those given over to the enemy “neither were thankful” and did not “retain God in their knowledge”? We, who have been given Jesus Christ as our Saviour, have so much to be thankful for, and if we will only remember that, our mind will not have opportunity to latch onto those lusts that take us captive.

For me, Solomon’s is a great example of powerful, answered prayer…that is still being prayed and answered today! A good beginning in this study of prayer.