My Vigorous Defense

Jeremiah 50:33b-34 All their captors hold them fast, refusing to let them go.  Yet their Redeemer is strong; the Lord Almighty is his name.  He will vigorously defend their cause so that he may bring rest to their land ...

Although these verses fall in a chapter of prophecies against the oppressors of the Israelites of the Old Testament, they rang a bell for me as I thought about people who fight against addiction. Addictions are like captors holding onto the one addicted, refusing to let them go.

These verses are comforting to me when I think about the power of habitss and weaknesses that I struggle against in my own life.  I do not have the addictions that some people struggle with, but I see how difficult it is to break certain habits in my life, and they are like captors holding onto me.  How much more a person addicted to drugs or alcohol or any other addiction must feel that same captivity holding onto them.

So, when I read that my Redeemer is strong and that He is standing up for me, I am comforted. It gives me hope knowing that I am not fighting my weaknesses or addictions alone.

Not only does He stand up for me, but He vigorously defends me!   

Vigorous ... strong, active, forceful. That is how God defends me when I want to fight a captor, a habit, an addiction. He is not standing off to the side just cheering me on. He is taking part in the fight.

The reason?  So that I can rest. A bad habit, a strong addiction, has the ability to keep me from having a fully satisfying life. It takes a lot of hard work to break that addiction, and it is a tiring job.

I do not have to fret and worry about my bad habits’ hold on me.  I have strong, active, forceful assistance from God Almighty. I can rest even as I do my part to break that habit, that addiction, because my Redeemer is vigorously defending me, and that I will eventually have victory over those habits.

God Almighty vigorously defends me so He can bring rest to my life.