Things are about to heat up in our Revelation reading; so let’s enjoy the fact that today’s pregnant woman, dragon, and celestial war are pretty straightforward.
In fact, this battle is an ancient one; it’s one we all recognize and live in and with every day. We have a woman in labor, and her child is clearly significant. He will rule the nations, he is taken up to heaven, and perhaps most tellingly, the dragon is determined to destroy this child. So much so that the dragon is willing to risk a battle with the angel Michael and his armies rather than concede defeat. The dragon is sent to earth to have his temper tantrum and because he cannot defeat the mother directly, he decides to hurt her indirectly by going after her other children – those who are faithful to God. And because we are those children, this is the reality we live with.
This helps to explain a lot. The reality is, there is a force in the world that is hell-bent on destruction. And I use that term with absolute intention. Once we understand how determined this force is, we can move beyond the question of why do bad things have to happen. Understanding how determined evil is to win, the more appropriate question is how do good things manage to happen at all. Think about it; a force that is more powerful than you is determined to prevent you from experiencing abundant life. And yet, even in the reality of life’s heartaches and challenges, we can all find something to be thankful for. With this understanding, we can see every good thing that life affords us as evidence of God’s inevitable triumph over evil. True miracles surround us every day! Make no mistake, good will triumph. But we will see that like an evicted tenant with nothing to lose, the devil does not plan to go quietly.
Questions for reflection:
- Consider something in your life that is not as you would like it to be. Spend some moments in prayer, specifically asking God to intervene on your behalf. Then know that you’ve left it in God’s capable hands to do with as he will.
- Take a few moments to consider the things you are thankful for and the blessings you have received. Spend some time in prayer thanking God for those things.
Old Testament reading: Amos 6-7