“And He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us;”
Acts 17:26-27
A STORY
There was once a mouse, living happy and free. Then he was caught by a little boy and the boy kept him as a pet. But the mouse soon found himself in a predicament: this boy decided to keep him sealed in a small glass jar with some dirt and plants on the bottom, and holes in the lid. He had food and all the things that he needed, but it felt like torture for him as he was squished so much in there, wishing he had the freedom he had before, and longing for it. He used to run freely, he really enjoyed that. But now could barely even move around in the jar, he found himself so incapable to do anything.
So he decided to do one thing: “I will accept this jar, and I will pray God will turn me into a small ant.”
So he did. God granted the request and the mouse became an ant. An amazing thing happened - he now found the freedom to run freely and frolic and live as he wanted to live before in this large beautiful space that he had where he was fed with plenty of food and cared for. This squished jar with dirt and shrubs was now like a huge forest to him. His boundary was no longer a prison - when he became small, he found a glorious freedom in it, and rest.
ROMANS 8:28
By God's grace, surrendering to the Lord and recognizing and accepting that every situation God has allowed comes from His hand is good (commands, blessings, trials, humblings, - everything both pleasant and difficult defines His 'boundary' for us) has been one of the most freeing and encouraging things that has helped me to enter into the rest God has for us in His presence. Not perfectly, but progress in it that is real. Hebrews 3 and 4 talk about "entering God's rest", and I think this story of the mouse is a bit of a picture of some of what that means.
Many times when the Lord has us in certain situations in the long term, it’s possible to believe that He is binding us from doing anything, squishing us from all sides and as if there’s a large weight on us. But if we humble ourselves (make ourselves small like an ant) and accept the Lord’s boundaries , and His will with gratitude, contentment and surrender to obedience - we will find a precious freedom. We will find the boundary is not really a boundary at all. We can be free to focus on all the wonderful freedom we do have in Christ. We can still press into Jesus as we fight our sin, we can pray and lean on God with the Lord fully listening, we can still fellowship freely with family in God, we can dwell on God’s Word and hear Him speak directly to us, we can still hope in eternity and serve Him with all our heart. Everybody no matter their situation has a “secret room” with Jesus in their heart. That room is still there, to go into and spend time with Jesus as much as we want. What a beautiful freedom!
WHAT IS FREEDOM?
I remember reading an old writer who wrote that living with the Lord is like the freedom of a bird being set free from a cage. But it’s not freedom from circumstances. As I read it I paused and I wondered what they meant but then they explained Christian freedom very simply:
“We are free to dwell in the immensity of God.”
Wow! I was so blessed by this thought. It's encouraged me to see that no matter who we are or what's going on - there’s no limit to how deep we can go in Christ. It’s up to us. That’s because God freed us from the one prison that really is a prison that keeps us from God: the power and guilt of our sin.
If we have repented and live in continual repentance and judging of ourselves, our sin doesn’t have to weigh us down in guilt (1 John 1:9) or defeat (Romans 6:14). We can live an overcoming life. Our sin was the one boundary that we could never live with, because it’s the one wall that separates us from God - Isa 59:2.
WHAT IS BECOMING SMALL?
If we humble ourselves and become small (surrendering our will and desires to God in everything), we can find a great freedom in Christ. EVERY spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ (Eph 1:3) belongs to us.
It means resigning the love of the world, and our sin, and our self-life because God and Jesus is everything to us. It means seeing ourselves and our sin as the main problem in our life, not our boundaries God gave us. It means choosing to praise God and cling to faith even when our feelings say otherwise. It means contently accepting from God's hand whatever He chooses. This is humbling ourself and making ourselves small, by God's grace.
We often call God “Lord” with our words, but this is how we bow before God with our LIFE and say: “You are God and Lord, and I am not. Your will be done.”
Paul knew this joyous freedom well, and he wrote the “epistle of joy” (Philippians) from prison! His boundaries of the cell were not boundaries for him.
AN EXAMPLE OF A FRIEND
Here’s a real world example:
I know a couple who for years struggled with having enough money to make ends meet. My friend, he tried to increase his career through various means. His was working, and they had a child. Things became much more difficult. They found themselves having to move to be able to afford to live, yet while seeing others go further in careers and salaries.
One day his wife said to him, “maybe it’s just not God’s will for us to have more money.” That day, they decided to just be content with God’s “boundary.” It’s not that he stopped seeking a better job and a better situation for their family, rather it was a change of the heart - it’s that they chose to be content and resigned even if God didn’t grant it. Placing no more timelines on God, no more expectations that God had to work according to their way and ideas. Instead, they decided they would bow to God’s way. And for now - this was the situation God wanted them in.
I kept in touch with him over the years, and they never got wealthy but they had what they needed. They continued to live for God and serve the Lord. And many years later when the daughter they had become a late teen - I was talking to him on the phone and he shared with me, she had a hunger for the Lord and decided to follow Jesus!
I was so happy for him and his family and I was reminded of the way they walked with the Lord in surrender and contentment, making themselves ‘small’ and finding rest within God’s boundary. I don’t believe it’s a coincidence that God would do this for their daughter. I know that in eternity there will be no regret that they did not make more money. But there will definitely be joy that God enabled them to surrender to His will, and did a great work in their family through their obedient hearts.
Their boundary was in the area of money.
But there are many other boundaries people can have. And maybe it’s there just for now, or maybe the Lord will remove it - we don’t know yet. But it’s from the Lord. And right now it is keeping me close to Jesus.
“The lines (Boundaries) have fallen to me in pleasant places… indeed my heritage (of Jesus) is beautiful to me” (Psalm 16:6)
The Lord’s ways are mysterious. But they are perfect. As much as we think we do, we don’t know what we need. And as much as we feel it’s not possible, it IS possible to “dwell in the immensity of God” today, having a rest and freedom.
This is the blessing that comes to one who fears God and says, “Lord, your will be done”, and chooses to receive from His hand gladly every command (to obey) and every circumstance (to contently accept and surrender to) that He brings our way.
“How blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, Who walks in His ways. When you shall eat of the fruit of your hands, You will be happy and it will be well with you.” Psalms 128:1-2