Psalm 124:7 NLT says, “We escaped like a bird from a hunter’s trap. The trap is broken, and we are free!” This verse beautifully captures my testimony of freedom and deliverance.
I have always loved God, loved serving Him, and cherished being in His house. However, for many years, I wasn’t free to fully live out this part of myself. I would attend church, but I had to rush back home after the first service to avoid harsh treatment and abuse. My faith became a constant point of contention, and I was often told that “these churches are the ones spoiling you.”
When God’s appointed time came—my kairos moment—I finally had the courage to leave. But even as I walked away, the abuse didn’t stop. One of the last insults hurled at me was: “Tafuta pastor akuoe” (Go find a pastor to marry you). Those words were meant to intimidate, belittle, and make me feel that my life would amount to nothing without that person.
But what they didn’t know is that God can use even the most unlikely voices to speak into our destiny. Just as He used an Egyptian to declare Moses’ future, He can use anyone—even those who mean harm—to fulfil His plans. When Moses defended an Israelite and was confronted by an Egyptian, he was mocked with the words, “Who made you a ruler and judge over us?” (Exodus 2:14). Yet, 40 years later, Moses returned to Egypt as the very leader and judge God had ordained him to be. What the Egyptian meant as an insult became a prophetic declaration fulfilled by God.
Similarly, those words—“Go marry a pastor”—never hurt me. In fact, they gave me peace. Who knows? Perhaps God was speaking through that abuse to declare a future He was already working on behind the scenes. Even one pastor, unaware of this history, once asked me if I might one day marry a pastor. Truly, God’s ways are mysterious but always perfect.
After escaping like that bird, I found freedom to serve God wholeheartedly. Today, I attend both services at church simply because I love to. I participate in home Bible studies, join all keshas, and even attend another Bible study nearer home—all without fear of being controlled or abused. I can now fully be myself and worship God in spirit and truth, and for that, I give Him all the glory.
This reminds me of how God turns what is meant for harm into something good. The man who sought to tear me down didn’t realise that God was using him to speak into a bright, God-ordained future. He thought he was insulting me, but God was fulfilling His plans in my life.
Psalm 124:7 reminds us of God’s power to break every trap meant to ensnare us. He sets us free to live out the purposes He has prepared for us. In His presence, there is freedom. At last, I am free to serve Him with my whole heart, and I praise God for His deliverance.
Hold fast to Him. He can use anyone and anything to accomplish His will. Truly, in God’s presence, there is freedom. Praise God, praise God, praise God! Have a blessed day!