It just breaks my heart

Debra (not her real name) came by my office yesterday. When my secretary brought her in, it was obvious this was no 'stop by and chat with the Pastor about the weather' visit. When she started to talk, the grief that spilled over was so awful that she nearly collapsed. Sobs wracked her body for a long time. "Where is God? Does He exist?" Her questions were not born of self-pity. Her life has been sucked into a whirlwind of events that she cannot control, with problems so big that she cannot see a way to even start to work her way out of them. She cried, "I tried to do all the right things in my life. How did it come to this?" I prayed earnestly for her in that moment. No platitudes could soothe her broken heart. There was only our cry for the comfort of the Spirit.

Debra is living through a year of terrible injustice, where she has been subjected to people with power who are only concerned with protecting themselves and/or avoiding consequences, no matter the cost to those who stand in their way. Her ordeal appears to be long from over. The reality that an evil: a destructive, cruel, selfish evil- has seized this woman and it will not let her go. Only the power of God can overcome and restore her life, but the process may be brutal and bloody! It just breaks my heart!

Evil is everywhere, disciple.
· I have seen evil take over a once loving couple and they lock themselves into power plays which destroy their marriage and sometimes even their lives.
· Good people rise to places of authority and then are seduced by evil and begin to use their power to secure more perks or money for themselves. In the process, they wreck lives and often ruin a company, an organization, even a church!
· Benevolent nations enjoy prosperity and gain strength, only to become imperialistic bent on conquering the world and horrible suffering results.
· Sex, a gift of God designed to create life and bond a man and woman intimately for life, becomes lust and consumes men and women with perversion as they chase pleasure endlessly driven by an insatiable need.
· ... and the list goes on and on.

Jesus describes says that there is Evil that exists only to "kill and destroy!" The Bible speaks of the Devil repeatedly as the 'enemy.' Peter compares Satan to a 'roaring lion seeking for someone to devour.' The book of the Revelation speaks of the reality of Evil in powerful images "the Dragon, that old Snake-the very Devil, Satan himself!" (Revelation 20:2, The Message) In our sophistication, some of us have rejected the idea of evil as just superstition. 'Evil is not real,' we say. 'It is just an illusion, the result of lack of opportunity, misunderstanding, or ignorance!' Rightly discarding the silliness of a horned devil in a red suit carrying a pitchfork, some Christians also throw away the truth that evil is real, personified in a fallen spiritual being named Lucifer, and bent on destroying all that God has made and loves!

If we accept that there is a real Devil and that there are truly evil people and situations, what are we to do?
Some choose to pretend evil is not real, closing their eyes, shutting their ears, blissfully apathetic- until evil finds them!
Some 'make nice' somehow thinking that only saying positive words and being kind is the answer, until they are stabbed by someone they thought they could change with their niceness.

God calls us to War! But, the war is not one of fists, guns, or swords; nor even of words! It is a strange war waged with two primary 'weapons,' love and truth. We learn the truth from the Word and the living Christ- a truth that condemns us as sinners, then frees us from our sinfulness when we confess our utter depravity and grab hold, in faith, of the grace of God in Christ Jesus. Seeing His love which brought Him from Heaven's perfection to the sewers of sin, and experiencing that love firsthand, we learn to love. And love conquers! Yes, it is a bold love that costs us our life, which we trade for that life in the Kingdom that never ends.

In a passage that is both full of promise and yet terrifying in the probability of the disturbance of our comfort, the Bible says: "It has come at last- salvation and power and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down to earth- the one who accuses them before our God day and night. And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die.
Therefore, rejoice, O heavens! And you who live in the heavens, rejoice! But terror will come on the earth and the sea, for the devil has come down to you in great anger, knowing that he has little time."
(Revelation 12:10-12, NLT) ______________

Lord, let your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.
Fill us with Power, not like that of this world, but of the Spirit.
Teach us to live in Truth and Love, able to see evil where it exists,
willing to challenge it, even die to our comfort in dealing with it.
May we love the hateful, absorbing their poison.
May we bring Light to dark places, full of holiness that is bold, yet humble.
Keep us in Your grace, and bring us to Your side,
rejoicing that you counted us worthy of serving You.
In Jesus' Holy Name. Amen.
____________________________

A mighty Fortress is our God,
A bulwark never failing;
Our Helper He, amid the flood
Of mortal ills prevailing.
For still our ancient foe
Doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great,
And armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide,
Our striving would be losing,
Were not the right Man on our side,
The Man of God's own choosing.
Dost ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His name,
From age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.

And though this world,
With devils filled,
Should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear,
For God hath willed,
His will to triumph through us.
The prince of darkness grim,
We tremble not for him.
His rage we can endure,
For, lo, his doom is sure;
One little word shall fell him.

That word above all earthly powers,
No thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours,
Through Him who with us sideth.
Let goods and kindred go,
This mortal life also.
The body they may kill;
God's truth abideth still.
His kingdom is forever.

A Mighty Fortress is Our God
Martin Luther © Public Domain