Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith… 1 Peter 5:8-9
Have you ever seen a WWE steel cage match? I love them! Just when one wrestler makes it almost to the top of the cage and you think he will escape, the other grabs his leg and yanks him back down – hard – and then begins his own climb to the top. This is usually repeated until both are bloody and exhausted before someone finally makes it to the ground on the outside of the cage. The more bloody, agonizing, hard hits there are, the more we love it. Of course, the outcome is predetermined, so the wrestlers know the whole time who will come out victorious, even though the audience doesn’t.
This past month or so, I’ve felt like I’m stuck in the greatest steel cage match ever, facing off against Satan at every turn. He’s attacked me indirectly through crises, death, and heartache in the people I love. He’s attacked me directly through emotional upheavals and worsened depression. He’s attacked me indirectly through Cory’s health. He’s attacked me directly through financial hits and constant headaches. Some of the more indirect attacks at first seemed to be just life circumstances, but the pattern and consistency has made me realize that they were designed to catch me by surprise and begin the match early. And all those indirect attacks? They weaken those around me, those I love, those who build me up and fight alongside me. Make no mistake, Satan knows exactly what he’s doing.
So with all this spiritual warfare going on, where do we find hope? Where do we find the strength and resolve to keep going? Why do we keep fighting, instead of just giving in and giving up? Why do we drag ourselves up off the mat, battered and bleeding, and keep climbing to the top of that cage?
Because we, just like the wrestlers in the cage, know who will be victorious. We know, without a doubt, that all these wounds will be healed and in their place will be beautiful, distinctive, personalized scars that will make us stronger. Because we know, we must keep fighting, and we must support each other in battle. We must pray for one another, talk to one another, earnestly seek God on behalf of our fellow believers. After all, I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end He will stand upon the earth. Job 19:25
