Hymn: “God of Grace and God of Glory”
Words: Harry Emerson Fosdick (b. 1930)
Tune: CWM RHONDDA
We’ve all heard it said that anytime a ministry is thriving,
we had best keep a close watch because something or somebody is bound to attack
it. That seems to be a defeatist approach, but there is a good bit of truth to
it. That may be why Jesus’ teaching from Matthew 10:16 [“Behold, I send you
forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and
harmless as doves.”] is included in the gospels!
Why is it that we are often surrounded by so great a cloud
of wolves? How is it that evil can move so quickly to dismantle?
Every semester I screen the documentary THE CLINTON 12 in my
classes. This story of the integration of Clinton (TN) High School is riveting,
but one of the most disturbing and eye-opening facts is that on the opening day
of the school year, one man (John Kasper) came into town to stir up trouble,
and by Friday of the first week, thousands had joined him in his protest. In
the 1950’s – long before social media and flash mobs – evil reared its head to
attempt the derailment of a long-needed process… and was able to speak loudly
enough to cause quite the uproar – thankfully, an unsuccessful campaign.
After an unexpected attack, we who seek to truly be people
after God’s own heart sometimes find ourselves standing with that “why me?”
posture. WE may come under attack, but it is Christ himself who is being
scorned; it is an assault on the plan that we have determined to be HIS.
The Evil One has been nipping at our bare heels since the Garden,
and there is no sign that is about to change any time soon. Yet we continue to
pray “… thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven” – and in that perfect
kingdom, the hosts of evil are silenced.
If you think you are truly God-will Hunting, brace yourself:
the hosts of evil are all around. Also arm yourself (Ephesians 6:10-17) that
you may be able to withstand the fiery darts - the difficulties that seem to accompany the living
of these days. Believe me, you are not alone!
No comments:
Post a Comment
You are welcome to comment on any of the posts. They are sent to ME directly. Thanks for any feedback you would like to make.