I realize now that my situation closely resembles Paul’s.
Paul’s thorn was permitted by God “so that [he] would not exalt [himself.]” As
I prayed about the similarities between Paul’s situation and my own, I began to
think I was raising the “shield of faith” Paul
recommended to the Ephesians by my own strength. In fact, the shield is
called the shield of faith because it exists as evidence of our faith in God
not by some conjuring of our own. I think I was trying to mentally raise a
shield instead of resting in my faith that God would shield me. That subtle
difference in attitude reminds me of the error committed by many so-called
charismatic believers who seem to be proud of their power over demonic forces.
They sound like the 72 who came back from their super-powered mission whom Jesus
mildly rebuked saying that they should revel in their salvation rather than
their power over evil.
I wrote previously, “I struggle; I raise my shield against
Satan’s fiery darts. I’m waiting impatiently for the maturity that will allow
me to consider my situation ‘all joy.’” That “I raise my shield”
highlights the first half of what I have been learning from my situation. The
other part is equally important. It is in my comment that I was impatiently
waiting for the joy that my suffering was supposed to bring. I also quoted
Paul’s line to the Philippians that God “graciously” allows us to suffer on
behalf of Christ. That means that if I resist or complain overmuch about the
suffering God has allowed in my battle against evil, I am resisting the grace
of God. Oh!
Just the other day, someone suggested that I consider Paul’s
instructions in Romans eight. “For if you live according to the flesh, you
are going to die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body,
you will live…. The Spirit himself confirms to our
spirit that we are children of God, and if children, also heirs—heirs of God
and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer together with him so that we
may also be glorified together with him.” We suffer with Him, Paul asserts, so
that we may also be glorified with Him. Strange as it may sound, this seems to
be teaching that our suffering on Christ’s behalf brings glory to God.
There is a related idea hidden in Paul’s comment that we
will live [spiritually] if by the Spirit we put to death the deeds of the body.
Paul uses “body” here as a synonym for “flesh” which he used in the first part
of the sentence. The flesh he is speaking of is the part of the inner man he
lamented in the previous chapter; it is the part of every believer that must be
continually put to death because in
Galatians it is in opposition to the Spirit; it is the “old man” of Colossians
that must be put off so the new man may be renewed, recreated in the image of
the One who created him.
As if all that wasn’t enough to spur me on, there is also this
from Romans eight: “For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to
fear again, but you have received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out,
“Abba! Father!” In my previous post, I shared my poem about what I came to call
“The Dreads.” I was waking up almost every night with an irrational fear of
getting up and getting on with life. It was often centered on school, but many
times it was as mundane as whether I forgot to turn out the lights in the
garden; did I remember to pay a bill; would our trusty old car start or fail
us. Irrational. I see now that this was also based on my perception of my
ability to perform as I was expected to. The truth is that if God is my Abba, I
can rely on Him to see me through whatever may befall me. No fear.
It seems fair to ask at this point where Satanic attacks
come from. I believe the Scripture reveals many different sources, although our
Sovereign God is ultimately responsible whether through direct action on His
part or through the actions of others allowed by His grace (as Paul said.) We
know His direct action is supported by Scripture. Numerous words of the Old
Testament prophets declare that God brought “evil,” known also as calamity and
disaster on His people. Read Micah 2:5 as one example: “Behold, I am devising
against this family, an evil demise from which you cannot remove your necks.” His judgment of wayward Israel is both direct
and indirect. There is no reason to think this cannot still happen to His renewed
Israel, the church.
As examples of mediated attacks, think of Job’s situation or that of Paul and his thorn. Paul also mentions several instances of attacks coming from within the church. Even Jesus suffered this kind of trouble from his disciples; remember He said, “Get behind me, Satan,” speaking to Peter. Without doubt, God uses secular governments to deliver His judgments. The prophets consistently report God’s intention to use other nations to punish Israel. Consider the evil perpetrated by the Supreme Court approving abortion or the redefinition of marriage. The Jewish Sanhedrin did one of the most dastardly evils in all history when they condemned their Savior to death.
Your family, your friends, your employer, whether they are
believers or not, may be used to buffet you for God’s gracious purposes. So, I
am committed to return to the battlefield; my King has requested my service for
His glory. As for the joy, I am reminded of the explanation given for my
Savior’s willingness to enter the greatest battle of all human history on the
hill of Calvary. The
Hebrew writer says that we should “Fix our eyes on Jesus, the originator
and perfecter of faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the
cross, disregarding the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne
of God.” My joy is that I have the privilege of serving Him, and I will one day
join Him in the throne room. That’s good enough for me.
Related Posts: What
Were You Thinking; Spiritual
Warfare; Driven to
the Cross; Forget
Not His Benefits
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