Janet and I grew up in Chicago. There is a saying there that if you don’t like the weather, just stay put. It will change in the next five minutes. And you know what? There is quite a bit of truth to that. I have memories of walking in downtown Chicago with the wind so strong I was surprised that I wasn’t swept off my feet. One of those times when you lean into the wind and you are almost horizontal but you don’t fall because the wind is trying to push you backwards. Don’t bother with an umbrella, as it would be destroyed in an instant.
Then, you turn a corner and, suddenly, there is virtually no wind at all. In large measure, it has to do with the paths of the wind through the downtown streets and the skyscrapers that influence air flow. You can’t believe that things were so different a few minutes earlier. Of course, having grown up there, we were used to sudden changes, but it was still a surprise when extreme changes occurred.
As I write this post tonight, similar things are happening here at home in Carmel, IN. Last week, Janet had two wonderful medical reports that the family was thrilled with. Having had serious back surgery in January, we received her six month report which was fantastic. It’s also been three years since Janet suffered several (6) brain bleeds and she still sees her neurologist annually. He described her as unbelievable – the word he used was ecstatic. Those are the kind of appointments we live for.
On the other hand, after all that good news, we have been inundated with issue after issue that are just too close together to be coincidental. Work issues, letters from the U.S. Treasury, health issues that seem to defy diagnosis, dear friends dealing with chronic health concerns, inconsistent market performance, school beginning for grandsons – and its one of the three times of the year when strange things happen. The other two are when school lets out in the spring and, of course, after Thanksgiving until the end of the year when things start to return to normal.
Part of what we are dealing with is the fact that things get weird from the middle of August until about eight weeks after school starts. Lessons, calendars, doctor appointments and a host of other rituals start new routines and things are always up in the air and difficult until these routines are established. We expect those things – they are baked into our subconscious as we have lived our whole lives with certain patterns of summers off, the school year, holidays, etc. But what we are experiencing is far in excess of the normal upsets that this time of year bring.
When things like this happen, Janet and I have to consider the probability of spiritual warfare. There is no way that all the problems we are having are coincidental. And we know that the Scripture is filled with examples of Satan and his demons who wish to take over the world. In fact, it may surprise you to know that Satan is referred to as the “prince of the power of the air.” For all intents and purposes, the earth is his dominion. And he still has access to the throne room of God in heaven as well. Eventually that will change – we are told that in Revelation. But until then, we will have to thwart the advances of Satan at every turn. And I mean we must remain diligent.
We learn from the Bible that even the most faithful of us can be tempted by Satan. We need the help of Jesus to continue to effectively battle Satan. It is also interesting to note that I am getting ready to teach Revelation this fall to the Soul Sisters at church. I love doing these things but everything we do to advance the kingdom of God and help people to strengthen their faith infuriates Satan and his followers. All I can say is that we must be doing something right!
Our verse for tonight is one that most of us have heard before but is still difficult to believe. In our verse, Jesus knows that He must pay the price of crucifixion for our sins and Peter intercedes, indicating that Jesus will never have to suffer. The story unfolds in Matthew 16:22, where Peter speaks to Jesus. Matthew tells us, “Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”
This is quite a rebuke. Peter, who has been with Jesus for several years, was still influenced by Satan. If that can happen to Peter, it can happen to any of us – for sure. And the closer we get to God, the more Satan will try to influence each of us. We must stick together and rebuff those advances. And let’s not forget that Satan is cunning – very cunning.
My encouragement this evening is that Satan has no power over Jesus. And let’s not forget that Jesus controls legions of angels who covered the earth when Jesus was born in Bethlehem. As long as we dedicate ourselves to the mission of Jesus and remain steadfast in that mission, we have the strongest defense against Satan that is possible. My prayer is that we will all try to stay alert and recognize the advances of evil in our lives and make sure that we cling to the Lord without ceasing. In this way, we depend on Jesus to be our advocate and our protector. When adverse things happen, stay the course! Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…