Lord, Deliver Us From Evil!

"Today's Devotion" For August 20, 2005

Read: Matthew 8:28-34; Psalm 3

LORD, DELIVER US FROM EVIL!

"From the Lord comes deliverance. May Your blessing be upon Your people." (Ps. 3:8)

Back in my younger days, Linda Blair became famous because of a movie called "The Exorcist." It was the movie that seems to have started the ball rolling for modern film makers to explore and investigate themes in the area of the occult that they had never before touched upon. Much of the reason for that wasn't that film makers, at least, didn't want to broach the subject - the "horror" genre in movies is quite old and extensive - but until "The Exorcist" some of the more dramatic special effects mechanisms were not technologically available. From that point on, demons and demon possession were further explored and commercialized by the movie industry in movies like "Carrie", "The Shining", "Damien", and others, many based on literary works. Unfortunately, such films and literature appeal to many of humanity's prurient interests, and fail to truly recognize the reality of and the true nature of the demonic and satanic.

If you have any doubt about that assertion, consider, if you will, that there is now a television show called "Ghost Hunters." It's a real life, real time, excursion into the paranormal, the logical next step up from the "horror" genre. Such a program is a logical progression from "The Lord of the Rings" which touched on the spiritual and paranormal, as well as the "fantasy - paranormal - spiritual" genre of literature such as the Harry Potter series. For the most part, it seems as if the vast majority of people in the developed countries see such exploration of the genres as being simply harmless and entertaining. To a certain extent this may explain why so many people fail to see that there is evil in the world and that such evil seeks to destroy and can't be controlled by mere human activity.

As we look at Jesus dealing with the reality of demon possession according to Matthew's Gospel account today, the accuracy of the previous statement becomes obvious. Jesus was faced with the very real circumstance of human beings being violently controlled in body and spirit by the followers of God's sworn enemy, Satan. These demons give strong evidence that they knew who Jesus was and what He was about to do. They whined about their end at Jesus' hand coming too soon - that it wasn't yet time. Begging for a modicum of mercy and salvation from the Lord of Life, they unwittingly glorify Him and acknowledge Him for Who He is. Knowing they are going to be driven out of the two men they possessed, their request is to be sent into a herd of pigs. Jesus grants their request, which seemed a victory to the demons at the time. Yet their sense of victory is short-lived, as the herd runs over a cliff and into the lake to drown.

The people of that region who owned the pigs were Gentiles. They didn't understand what had happened, only that they had lost the pigs from which they drew their livelihood. They really could have cared less about the freeing of the two men from demon possession. All they could think about was having Jesus leave them alone. It's quite possible they didn't even truly understand what had happened. Perhaps, for them, being possessed by demons was to be expected and ignored as long as it didn't affect them. It's obvious that they truly didn't appreciate the power and compassion of Jesus in their midst.

Playing around with the occult, evil, and the paranormal may seem like nothing, but reality tells us differently. In the undeveloped nations of the world people seem to be much more in touch with the demonic and spirit world than in the developed nations. Missionaries with whom I've had the opportunity to visit have shared stories about demon possession and occultic activity in places like India, Africa, the Caribbean, South America, and Asia. I've also spoken to domestic missionaries who have shared experiences of the occult and demon possession within our own shores. It seems, however, that domestically we're too "sophisticated" in our beliefs to pay any credence to the real evil that walks the earth everyday. While people might enjoy being "scared" by the movie and literary genres that "play" around with the paranormal and the occult, for the most part no one takes them seriously. In the same way, just as the Gentiles in Matthew's account for today, people don't Jesus seriously either.

As the people of God, redeemed by Jesus Christ, we don't want to fall into the same trap. We want to take evil and the demonic world seriously. We recognize that Jesus has overcome Satan and his legions, and that he has no power over us any longer because we belong to our Father in heaven. Our Lord Jesus Christ has won the ultimate victory over Sin and Satan, and while there are still skirmishes with evil, it can no longer keep us from our Father. Even though the people of the world are oblivious to the reality of Sin and Satan, we know and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, by the power of His Word and Spirit, gives us the power to overcome them. We have the sure evidence of our Lord's power to drive out demons. Living in that confident assurance and faith we seek to share His compassion to those in need of His mercy, grace, and love everyday. We proclaim with confidence that His forgiveness is powerful and total. Facing a world inundated with evil seeking to destroy God's creation, Jesus gives us strength and hope and with confidence we pray, "Lord, deliver us from evil!"

Prayer: Father, the world is filled with evil. It's not what You intended when You created the universe. You could have immediately destroyed Adam and Eve when they sinned. You could have long ago destroyed the world and all humanity. Yet, in Your patience, grace, mercy, and love You have been compassionate, providing salvation from Sin and Satan, and all the evil they bring, through Jesus Christ, my Savior and Lord. In the same way as Jesus drove the demons out of the two men in Galilee that they possessed, so also am I confident that by faith in His power, compassion, and love I'm able to overcome evil each day as it seeks to enter my life. Father, I pray that by the power of Your Word and Spirit, I may never see the occult, the paranormal, or anything that plays around with the demonic and evil as being safe or immaterial to life with You. Help me to keep such things in their proper perspective, knowing that Christ has overcome them and that in Him I have hope and peace. In Jesus' precious name I pray. Amen.
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--Pastor Boeck

Copyright @2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.