“In the forest beyond the trees
There sings a songbird who’s been released
And the fowler could never find her
The ocean beyond the sea”
-“The Ocean Beyond the Sea” by Jon Foreman
This is a story about a songbird who has been released. The story begins with God, as all good stories do. God created a glorious songbird who is a Finch named Goldie because she was bright yellow. Goldie loved to sing with all her might to God, even though she was small in stature; she could really belt out a beautiful tune. Her songs were mainly songs of thankfulness to God for giving her life and allowing her the freedom to fly over God’s magnificent creation. One day as she was flying, she spotted an abundance of sunflower seeds in a nice little pile, it would be easy pickings. As she started eating, she felt something strange wrapped around her little body. It totally encapsulated her. She couldn’t move. She couldn’t fly. She started to panic but she could not escape. It was the evil fowler. He set a trap for her, knowing how she loved sunflower seeds. The sinister fowler cannot stand it when creation sings praises to God and not himself. He is arrogant and self-serving, so he wanted to strike a deal with Goldie. If you only sing praises to me, I will let you go. Goldie knew that the fowler was jealous of God. She could not allow herself to praise the fowler as she loved God with all her little heart so she refused the fowler’s deal. The fowler told her, “If you will not sing praises to me, then I will let you die inside this net as you are no use to me.” And the fowler left her, trapped inside the net to die. Goldie was beside herself and she cried out to God, “Please save me!” Guess what, God heard Goldie’s cry for help and sent an army to save her, an army of ants. The ants were able to chew through the bonds of the fowler’s net and set her free to be able to fly again. God told Goldie to fly to the east until you arrive at the ocean by the sea where the fowler will no longer be a threat to her. There, Goldie will be able to enjoy the life she was created for, to sing praise to God and be able to have the freedom to fly without hindrances.
Galatians 5:1 says, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” The yoke of slavery is referring to the burden of sin that weighs down on us and never lets us up. Satan wants us down. He wants to destroy us with all the smooth lies at his disposal and entrap us in his schemes. On the other hand, Jesus came to release us from those bonds of sin so we can breathe again and be restored. Jesus wants us to fly like a songbird who’s been released and where the fowler could never find us.
“For freedom Christ has set us free”
Discussions to make God known 