A Greater Power (2 Chronicles 32:7)

 


Saturday, August 24, 2024


Psalms 130; 131; 133

2 Chronicles 31:17-32:8

Romans 14:1-12


Observance: Bartholomew, apostle and martyr


A Greater Power (2 Chronicles 32:7)


The Assyrian army is a very scary thing. A whole mob of angry, bloodthirsty terrors, come from across the wilderness, with all the latest in warfare technology, a string of unbroken victories behind them – who wouldn’t be shaking in their sandals?


When these sorts of things happen in the Bible, it is comforting to read words like those from King Hezekiah: don’t be afraid, God is far bigger and scarier than that lot over there, and he is on our side.


This attitude, of turning to God when things get really bad, is a good reflex to have. But it doesn’t have to only come about when things get really bad. We can see the truth of all conflict in the world through this lens. This is because everything is spiritual. Politics, of different colours battling it out at the ballot box, is spiritual conflict. Fighting the urge to mutter in bad traffic is spiritual conflict. How we respond to differences in the church is spiritual conflict.


One way of seeing spiritual conflict could be that we humans are fighting against our sin nature (that is, for the Christian, because by virtue of our spiritual rebirth we are now enemies of sin, instead of friends). Another way would be that we humans are under attack by spiritual nasties, of demons and the like. Whichever way you want to cut it, there is conflict, and it is spiritual.


But lift up your eyes; look at who is our Master. There is a greater power than us, our sin, and all the demonic goblins of the underworld: the Lord Jesus, who loves us, gave his life for us, and rose again from the dead. At the sound of his name demons flee, sin is destroyed, and we are brought into perfect love.


The strife is o’er, the battle done;

the victory of life is won;

the song of triumph has begun.


He closed the yawning gates of hell;

the bars from heaven’s high portals fell.

Let hymns of praise his triumph tell.


Alleluia!

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