He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me. Psalm 18:19
If you put a buzzard in a pen six or eight feet square and entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite of his ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner. The reason is that a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground with a run of ten or twelve feet. Without space to run, as is his habit, he will not even attempt to fly, but will remain a prisoner for life in a small jail with no top. We as humans seem to get set in our habits and are trapped for life. We love wide-open spaces, yet we are so crowded. Cars jam the highways. We work among hundreds or thousands of people in a confined space. We often live in narrow, confined prisons of our own making. David in Psalm 18 describes God’s spacious place, as he looks over his life and the many escapes from his enemies. He knows the meaning of being hemmed in on every side. David was forced to hide from Saul in caves and behind rocks. How confined he had felt, but David rejoices that God brought him out into a large place. David says, “He rescued me because he loves me.” Yes, God rescued David. But more important, David learned that God always provides a spacious place for us in the freedom of his promises. No matter where we live or work, God always brings us out into the spacious place of his love, when we call on him. Don’t be like the buzzard, and just give up trying. Ask God to free you from the cramped quarters of your life, and open up space that you may live freely.