May The Force Be With You

I don’t believe every bad thing that happens in life is a direct intervention of evil. Quite frankly, it doesn’t need to be orchestrated by demons or even the devil himself; this world is already bent towards the sin of man and doesn’t typically need further help. That said, at times there are certain circumstances that just seem too bizarre to not have some kind of added influence. Case in point… January 26, 2014. Pope Francis, while speaking at St. Peter’s Square, had two children release one white dove each as a symbolic gesture of peace. Soon after their release both doves were attacked, one by a seagull and the other by a black crow in front of thousands of religious onlookers. Hmmmmm….this could be a scenario right out of the The Omen in that it is a subtle—rather than gruesome—possible depiction of supernatural taunting.

Do I really believe some demons were having a fun pranking on a religious ritual…heck, I don’t really know. What I do know is that some people equate “supernatural” with “unnatural”…which couldn’t be further from the truth. Spirits—good and bad—are as natural as anything in this life. The spiritual realm existed long before our world and humanity did, and it’s a sure bet that it doesn’t stay unnoticed all the time just to watch us exist.

Although I seriously doubt spiritual forces were at play in this situation, these moments are a good reminder to myself--lest I ever get complacent--that we do live in a very spiritual world. It’s a very cogent reminder that there are forces at play all around us we don’t often see or recognize. The real key is to not get caught up in the media hype about what “spirits” are. Yes, they are real. Yes, they can manifest themselves in many tangible ways. Yes, evil ones can oppress even the strongest of Christians. But the glorious victory we Christians hold is that our Lord and Savior created each and every one of these beings and, as such, has complete power and jurisdiction over them. We know from scripture that God has allowed a certain amount of latitude for evil to exercise its dominion, but we can be assured God is in absolute control and has the ultimate victory in every situation.

Do I care if some evil powers wanted to display some sort of control over nature in St. Peter’s Square?…not really. I do care about the One who is the Creator of all things and what He can show me. Perhaps the doves of peace didn’t fare so well, but I do know that the Lord shepherds his flock with a very loving and protective dominance. This is the Savior I serve. This is the peace that affords me the strength and hope to move forward in life without cowering over forces that don’t have any real power over me.

And that’s all I have to say about that.

Greg Morton
Copyright © February, 2014

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