A large unstoppable army of evil was moving across an
enormous plain. This force was deeper
and longer than the eye could see. The
front line was an impervious wall of shields marching forward. The entire mass was stepping in unison so
that the ground shook with every step…Boom…Boom…Boom. The rattle of armor and weapons was a melody
that chilled the bones. The wall moved
across the land without slowing, without regard to what it might destroy. It simply marched to take over everything.
Then a single man appeared on the plain. As the wall of shields and mass of marching
death moved closer, he remained where he was.
He squared his shoulders and planted his feet, preparing for the
wall. When it came, he braced himself
against…digging his feet into the earth.
He strained with all his might to stop the moving force of evil, but the
force kept moving…pushing the solitary man in front of it…still straining with
sliding feet. The man continued to push
against the wall despite the obvious futility of it. There was no hope for him to stop this
force. However, three more men appeared
next to him and also began to push against the shields. He was not sure where they came from but the
reinforcements gave him a new burst of energy and together they pushed against
that wall with the strength of ten men…but they continued to slide.
A short while later eight more showed up to help push, then
nineteen, then thirty, before long the numbers of those pushing were in the
hundreds and then the thousands…all straining with every ounce of their being
to stop this force…to stop this wall.
Yet they slid. Thousands were so finite
and insignificant against this seemingly infinite force. Occasionally, one or two would lose the
footing completely and disappear behind the shields and under the pounding
feet. However, the resistors grew into
the tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands and eventually the millions…millions
of people are passionately desiring for this wall to stop…for its movement of
terror and despair to stop. They shouted
and sang to encourage each other. They
were one unified force pushing…and yet they slid. Even as their numbers had grown, the wall had
not slowed. Even as they grew, it seemed
that more and more people were slipping and being swallowed by the ever
marching mass. Bodies began to shake
with exhaustion and spirits began to weaken.
Could they stop this force? Even with
these great numbers, is there no hope?
Why do we continue to slide backwards?
Why is this evil continuing to march?
People wondered why this was happening.
Then the wall stopped.
With a jerk that caused almost everyone to fall…the wall
stopped moving. People got off the
ground not knowing what was going on, not sure if to trust this event. The wall had stopped moving. They quickly looked around for an answer and
soon saw a single figure standing about 100 feet behind them. He was dressed in all white and radiating
light. His appearance was so contrasting
to the barren plain that people had to shield their eyes to look at Him. There was nothing special about Him in statue
or facial appearance but He shown…oh, He shown.
It seemed like He was whispering.
Nobody could make out what He was saying but they could feel the
power. The wall behind them starts to
shake…increasingly more and more as The Man spoke. Then when He lifted His hand, the force
shattered, as if the entire mass had been made of glass and stuck with a
hammer. The once unstoppable force was
suddenly an immense cloud of dust that was quickly being blown away by the
wind. The crowd could not believe what happened. After what seemed like an eternity of
struggle, strain, and failure by so many, this Man comes and stops and destroys
the force with a few words and the motion of His hand. They did not know what had happened, but they
knew that the fight was over and this Man was their Savior.
We live in a world of a marching
force of evil. Whether you want to
choose politics, the media, the education system, family dynamics, or any other
aspect of life, Christians and the name of Jesus Christ seem to be losing. Most Christians are simply afraid to even try
to make a stand…it always seems like the wicked do what they want.
Psalm 10:1-11 (NASB)
1 Why do You stand afar off, O LORD? Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble?
2 In pride the wicked hotly pursue the afflicted; Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised.
3 For the wicked boasts of his heart's desire, And the greedy man curses and spurns the LORD.
4 The wicked, in the haughtiness of his countenance, does not seek Him. All his thoughts are, "There is no God."
5 His ways prosper at all times; Your judgments are on high, out of his sight; As for all his adversaries, he snorts at them.
6 He says to himself, "I will not be moved; Throughout all generations I will not be in adversity."
7 His mouth is full of curses and deceit and oppression; Under his tongue is mischief and wickedness.
8 He sits in the lurking places of the villages; In the hiding places he kills the innocent; His eyes stealthily watch for the unfortunate.
9 He lurks in a hiding place as a lion in his lair; He lurks to catch the afflicted; He catches the afflicted when he draws him into his net.
10 He crouches, he bows down, And the unfortunate fall by his mighty ones.
11 He says to himself, "God has forgotten; He has hidden His face; He will never see it."
1 Why do You stand afar off, O LORD? Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble?
2 In pride the wicked hotly pursue the afflicted; Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised.
3 For the wicked boasts of his heart's desire, And the greedy man curses and spurns the LORD.
4 The wicked, in the haughtiness of his countenance, does not seek Him. All his thoughts are, "There is no God."
5 His ways prosper at all times; Your judgments are on high, out of his sight; As for all his adversaries, he snorts at them.
6 He says to himself, "I will not be moved; Throughout all generations I will not be in adversity."
7 His mouth is full of curses and deceit and oppression; Under his tongue is mischief and wickedness.
8 He sits in the lurking places of the villages; In the hiding places he kills the innocent; His eyes stealthily watch for the unfortunate.
9 He lurks in a hiding place as a lion in his lair; He lurks to catch the afflicted; He catches the afflicted when he draws him into his net.
10 He crouches, he bows down, And the unfortunate fall by his mighty ones.
11 He says to himself, "God has forgotten; He has hidden His face; He will never see it."
What is the point? What can I do to stop it? What can one person do? It is just easier if I accept the world
around me and just try to survive.
One person can stand. One person can resist the force. We have a promise that God will take care of
us.
Psalm 2:1-9 (NASB)
1 Why are the nations in an uproar And the peoples devising a vain thing?
2 The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers take counsel together Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying,
3 "Let us tear their fetters apart And cast away their cords from us!"
4 He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them.
5 Then He will speak to them in His anger And terrify them in His fury, saying,
6 "But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain."
7 "I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.
8 'Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession.
9 'You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.'"
1 Why are the nations in an uproar And the peoples devising a vain thing?
2 The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers take counsel together Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying,
3 "Let us tear their fetters apart And cast away their cords from us!"
4 He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them.
5 Then He will speak to them in His anger And terrify them in His fury, saying,
6 "But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain."
7 "I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.
8 'Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession.
9 'You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.'"
When the world rises against, God will knock them down.
Psalm 3:7 (NASB)
7 Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God! For You have smitten all my enemies on the cheek; You have shattered the teeth of the wicked.
7 Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God! For You have smitten all my enemies on the cheek; You have shattered the teeth of the wicked.
But then why is there so much pain in the world? Why are there wars, corruption, and
sexualized media? Because there is
sin. God tells us that He will save us
and all we have to do is stand. It will
be hard and it will seem like there is never hope…the wall is just too
big. If the Lord is before us, we cannot
be shaken.
Psalm 16:8-9 (NASB)
8 I have set the LORD continually before me; Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
9 Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will dwell securely.
8 I have set the LORD continually before me; Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
9 Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will dwell securely.
We will slide and even slip and be trampled, but the voice of
the Lord is behind us and that never fails.
Psalm 29:3-9 (NASB)
3 The voice of the LORD is upon the waters; The God of glory thunders, The LORD is over many waters.
4 The voice of the LORD is powerful, The voice of the LORD is majestic.
5 The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; Yes, the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, And Sirion like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the LORD hews out flames of fire.
8 The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness; The LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the LORD makes the deer to calve And strips the forests bare; And in His temple everything says, "Glory!"
3 The voice of the LORD is upon the waters; The God of glory thunders, The LORD is over many waters.
4 The voice of the LORD is powerful, The voice of the LORD is majestic.
5 The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; Yes, the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, And Sirion like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the LORD hews out flames of fire.
8 The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness; The LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the LORD makes the deer to calve And strips the forests bare; And in His temple everything says, "Glory!"
So stand…stand when no one else will. Be encouraged when you find yourself among
brothers and sisters. Be encouraged to
know that it is God and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ that will win this fight. Be encouraged that the Ruler of the Universe
is Here and He will never leave. Be
encouraged to stand for God is your solid ground.
Stand.
AMEN!!! Thank you for this challenge and this encouragement Stephen. I will stand and rage with you. What a powerful picture of our powerful Lord and Savior!
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