Deliver us from Evil!

I am sad to say evil does exist. If it hasn’t personally touched you in a profound way then you can be thankful. But it only takes a quick perusal of the headlines to see that we do not live in a perfect world. After you finish with those headlines you can pick up a history book and see that as tragic as this evil reality is; it is not new.

For some people, the presence of evil in the world is evidence for the absence of God. I must admit that I understand this rationale and I would need to be completely oblivious to not struggle with the prevalence of evil actions in the world. If we are not jarred by what we see happening around the world with ISIS or Boko Haram then we need to once again be reminded that we are all united as one human race created by God. If that is just too removed from your everyday life to truly move you then just pay attention to the needs right in your back yard. We have people all around us crushed by injustice, materialism, bullying and loneliness just to name of few ways in which evil manifests itself in our midst.

As a person of faith in Jesus Christ this can move me to tears at times; but it also drives me to the truth of God’s Word and the amazing love of God to deal with this evil on our behalf. God’s Word doesn’t ignore evil at all. In fact, it provides the answer as to its origin and the eternal solution that is provided in Jesus. I realize that this perspective is one that only comes through faith, so I must not be surprised when others don’t see it the way my faith does. One reason I believe is that I find in the pages of Scripture a very real picture of the world in which I live.

Not only does Scripture accurately describe what is going on in the world around me; it also holds up a mirror so that I can see what is going on in my own heart and mind. I see my tendencies toward selfishness, power grabbing and apathy that are really quite evil in their own way. These things I see welling up in me are really the same seeds for what I see played out to extreme fruition in the headlines every day. I rejoice that I have been blessed with a different context and a wonderful Savior that have kept these evil seeds from growing to full blown rebellion. In Romans 1 Paul gives us a snapshot of lives lived in opposition to our righteous God.

• 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. 32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

 With this in mind we are invited to pray as Jesus taught us, “Lord, deliver me from evil…all of it! Give us strength to live lives of love and freedom as we stand against evil in all of its forms.”

In Grace and Truth,

Pastor Nick