Unrestrained evil can overwhelm us and make it difficult to speak. Job 29 says, “The chief men refrained from speaking and covered their mouths with their hands; the voices of the nobles were hushed, and their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths” (vs. 9-10). Our fear and anxiety can make it feel like our tongues are stuck! We need to believe, one, there will be a final accounting and until then we do our part. Two, God will give us hope and courage even when the whole situation seems hopeless. And three, we must lift up our heads and trust we will see somewhere at some time in some place, the “goodness of the LORD in the land of the living” (Ps. 27:13).
The devil, who is prince of this world, is busy stirring up social chaos but wants us distracted so we don’t do anything about it. But even though the devil is the prince of this world, Jesus is the King! So when the evil one hands us a pair of blinkers we need to resist his promptings, open our eyes to the situation, and tune in to the voice of the Holy Spirit instead.
The devil is the master of delusion and confusion. God is turning a blind eye to injustice, he says, so why should you bother? Go ahead and let the world cry. Keep out of trouble. Stay away from people’s pain. If you hear a child’s cry ignore it, if you see a man starving pass on by. If you witness blatant injustice distract yourself. Don’t ask for trouble. “Life is a beach!” he shouts in our ear, and keeps asking anxiously, “Are we having fun yet?” Don’t get involved in his mantra!
We who profess to align ourselves with the King and His kingdom here on earth should pray daily, “Thy Kingdom come! They will be done–as in heaven, so on earth!” If we remain silent in the face of gross injustice and refuse to raise our voices in protest, then when our turn comes to be the victim we may find there is no one left to defend us.
Our enemy uses pleasures as well as pain to distract us from other people’s needs, including the pleasure of relationships. We want to matter to our friends, so how can we speak the truth in love if we see them doing something wrong? When our enemy sees us seeking significance and needing to matter to someone, he tries assuring us, “You matter to someone–you matter to me! I want you to come home to my place. Sleep over! I want to play with you here so I can play with you there.”
If pleasure doesn’t distract us, pain and relationships will. As God allows troubles to come our way, we can be overwhelmed. Yet meaning is found in opening our eyes to injustice and trying to speak up about it. Satisfaction comes in trying to stop wickedness and stepping in to protect the innocent from abuse and violence, even if we get ourselves hurt in the process. It’s called taking up your cross and following Him. Where is God calling you to take up your cross and follow Him today?
