A strange title, you say?  Perhaps a little inflammatory?  Yes, I suppose it is.  It is true there is a struggle between good and evil within our own hearts, Paul confirms that for us in Romans 7.  But we shouldn’t let ourselves get duped into thinking that there is some cosmic arm-wrestling match between God and the Devil… one alternately advancing on the other.  Maybe it is better to think of it as God as the largest of buildings, and Satan as a wounded ant, banging his head against the base in hopes of doing damage.  I don’t underestimate the power and craftiness that the Evil Spiritual forces have, they just don’t compare to The One True God.  The Lord wins.  Period.

In our Esther passages you see God delivering His people once again.  One of so many plots to wipe out the Jews that was met with failure.  In this instance, the Jewish people were given the right to defend themselves “to the death,” unbeknownst to their enemies, they had Jehovah on their side.  God is not specifically mentioned by name throughout the entire book of Esther.  Not once.  But as I read the scriptures through the lens of God’s promises to His people, Israel, I can’t help but see Him and His providence and faithfulness in most every sentence.  Even in our reading from the Psalms, we see another instance of someone out to destroy the people of God.  Don’t be fooled into thinking this is a possibility.  Jesus said even the gates of Hell cannot overcome His church.  We certainly should pray to God for deliverance from those who want to kill us, it may be the only emotionally honest prayer we can make in times of grave danger.  And yes, believers have and will be killed by wicked people because they choose to name the Name of The Lord… but no one, and nothing can ever destroy the people of God as a whole.  And even people who have been martyred have not been destroyed - they are present with the Lord eternally.  So, we as believers in the God of the Bible should not be bluffed into silence by the threats of bullies. There’s nothing they can do to your soul, your core being. Save your fear for God, who holds your entire life—body and soul—in his hands. 

God, help me (and all of us) to live my life in The Way you ask me to with boldness, not in fear of the “next catasrophe” that comes my way.

This entry was posted on Sunday, August 12th, 2007 at 7:47 am and is filed under Daily Readings. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.