There I
was minding my own business in the clinic (okay, really I was people watching…) when a lady, 30ish, walked by with a
cane in her right hand. The next person
after her was an elderly man who walked in with a cane in his right hand, while
walking a few steps behind him was an older lady with a cane in the same
hand. Weird, right? What are the chances of seeing the identical
issue right in a row? It has to be highly
unlikely.
I’d already
been watching cute little, sad little, sick baby who sat so quietly I was
concerned for her. On my left, stuck in
a wheel chair and barely able to speak was a beautiful woman who looked younger
than me but was probably recovering from a stroke. Older people barely able to walk, injuries,
sicknesses, and other visually seen issues had stirred up the beginnings of
anger in me, but the three canes finished it.
I wanted to stand up and scream- ‘No, it was NOT meant to be this way!’ Instead I had to soak up tears in a tissue.
The same
anger has been building in me for a while as I see all the hurting, whether
physically or other, everywhere I turn.
Pain, depression, burdens, sorrow, bodies failing to work right,
struggling to breathe, brokenness, anorexia, fear, loneliness, paralysis, MS,
Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, cancer and all the other works of the enemy. I’m not angry at the people, but at the
devil, the enemy of our souls who doesn’t come “except
to steal and to kill and to destroy.” (Jh. 10:10) {except- save only with the intent to}
-He tries to steal our finances, the truth, our kids,
our health, our blessings and our joy.
-He tries to kill our hopes, our dreams, our friendships,
our bodies and our beliefs.
-He tries to destroy our relationships, our unity, our
health, our communities and our trust.
The
devil is real. He is not a myth, not an
imaginary being. Jesus spoke to him as a
real being. At one point the devil was “O
shining star, son of the morning!” who was most beautiful in God’s creation
(Ez. 28:11-17 double ref.), but he decided he wanted to be God and rebelled
(Is. 14:12-14 double ref.). The Near Eastern way of saying someone
suffered defeat, fell from power, or lost one’s position is “fall from Heaven”
as Satan did (Lk. 10:18). The devil has
power, but God is all powerful and threw Satan down from Heaven.
The
Bible says about Jesus, “…through death He might destroy him who had the power
of death (that is, the Devil), and deliver those who through fear of death (us)
were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” (Heb. 2:14,15) Jesus came to undo the works of the devil (1Jh. 3:8) Because of Jesus death and resurrection, we
have hope beyond the grave, “O death, where is
your sting? O grave, where is your
victory?” (1Cor. 15:55)
No
matter what mischief the devil wreaks on the earth or in our lives, we know he is
defeated by the greater power of God. And the future of this tormentor is
known. For 1000 years he will be bound
in the Abyss by God (Rv. 10:1-3) and soon after his release from there, he will
be thrown into the lake of fire forever and eternally (Rv. 20:10) where death
follows soon after him (v.14).
NEVER to BOTHER us again!!!
-no
violence,wars, only peace (Jb. 3:17)
-no humger
or thirst (Rv. 7:16,17)
-no pain
-no crying
-no sorrow
-no death
(Rv. 21:4)
Woohoo! Thank You Jesus!