One of the things that came up during my discussions in Sweden last weekend on Mark's Gospel was whether Jesus' exorcism of evil spirits were really that or just him healing people of mental illness? Even if it was the latter, it is still extraordinary that Jesus could bring such immediate healing through prayer. The point was that such evil spirit possession, though rare, does happen, and Christians ought to avoid the extremes of either not believing it happens at all, or of seeing demons everywhere.
I've seen the destruction of faith and people that both extremes can bring. I've witnessed the awful disruption that mental illness brings to individuals and families. But I have also seen peoples' lives under attack by evil forces, and not only in Africa, where the reality of such things is all the more real because of the presence of 'traditional healers' in most communities. They often invoke evil spirits as part of their treatment. Though such demonic involvement is rare and it's the last thing to look for here, I believe it is necessary to be open to the possibility of such demonic attack if we are to be effective in spiritual warfare.
But we should also be aware that evil has a tendency to manifest in the human heart in ways that are far more subtle.
Most of the time I get to meet a lot of good people. However, every so often I have to deal with people who manifest evil in word and deed, and with whom there is no opportunity to reason or dialogue. Often they are so embittered and angry that they lash out destructively at all those around them. They cynically manipulate the truth for their own ends. And they seem to be successful. It's painful to deal with such people. Sometimes it feels like they are the 'winners'. They use fear and they bully to get their way. We've all seen or maybe even experienced this when we were at school. Yet the people I'm talking about behave this way as supposedly mature adults. Recently, I had an encounter with such a person, with whom it was very difficult to reason. And the temptation was to fight fire with fire.
Recently I watched the Clint Eastwood directed films 'Flags Of Our Fathers' and 'Letters from Iwo Jima'. The former tells the story of the terrible battle for this tiny island in March 1945 from the American point of view. The latter tells the same story but from the point of view of the Japanese. There's heroism to be sure and evil deeds driven by anger, but what comes through more than anything is the common humanity of both sides. There is selfishness, bullying and evil manifested in both films, yet kindness and humanity is also present, even in the middle of the brutality of war. I imagine the aim of of the film-makers was to show just that. In one scene, a Japanese colonel tends to the wounds of a G.I. his troops have brought in, even though his subordinates want him killed. They quickly realise that this G.I. is a lot like them. Though the G.I. dies of his wounds, a little evil is averted, and some good is done in an act of kindness.
Selfish and evil people really get me down, yet the Bible warns us of their effects and destiny:
Psalm 37 (NIV)
1 Do not fret because of evil men
or be envious of those who do wrong;
2 for like the grass they will soon wither,
like green plants they will soon die away.
3 Trust in the LORD and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Delight yourself in the LORD
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when men succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.
8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret—it leads only to evil.
9 For evil men will be cut off,
but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.
10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look for them, they will not be found.
11 But the meek will inherit the land
and enjoy great peace.
12 The wicked plot against the righteous
and gnash their teeth at them;
13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he knows their day is coming.
14 The wicked draw the sword
and bend the bow
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slay those whose ways are upright.
15 But their swords will pierce their own hearts,
and their bows will be broken.
16 Better the little that the righteous have
than the wealth of many wicked;
17 for the power of the wicked will be broken,
but the LORD upholds the righteous.
18 The days of the blameless are known to the LORD,
and their inheritance will endure forever.
19 In times of disaster they will not wither;
in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.
20 But the wicked will perish:
The LORD's enemies will be like the beauty of the fields,
they will vanish—vanish like smoke.
21 The wicked borrow and do not repay,
but the righteous give generously;
22 those the LORD blesses will inherit the land,
but those he curses will be cut off.
23 If the LORD delights in a man's way,
he makes his steps firm;
24 though he stumble, he will not fall,
for the LORD upholds him with his hand.
25 I was young and now I am old,
yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken
or their children begging bread.
26 They are always generous and lend freely;
their children will be blessed.
27 Turn from evil and do good;
then you will dwell in the land forever.
28 For the LORD loves the just
and will not forsake his faithful ones.
They will be protected forever,
but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off;
29 the righteous will inherit the land
and dwell in it forever.
30 The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom,
and his tongue speaks what is just.
31 The law of his God is in his heart;
his feet do not slip.
32 The wicked lie in wait for the righteous,
seeking their very lives;
33 but the LORD will not leave them in their power
or let them be condemned when brought to trial.
34 Wait for the LORD
and keep his way.
He will exalt you to inherit the land;
when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.
35 I have seen a wicked and ruthless man
flourishing like a green tree in its native soil,
36 but he soon passed away and was no more;
though I looked for him, he could not be found.
37 Consider the blameless, observe the upright;
there is a future for the man of peace.
38 But all sinners will be destroyed;
the future of the wicked will be cut off.
39 The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD;
he is their stronghold in time of trouble.
40 The LORD helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.
I have had a real experience of real evil in my life; frightening, disabling, treacle-like,frustrating, 'mis-communicating' and 'vague' in that it was VERY difficult to pin-down and deal with and be dealt with truly/properly within a mature christian context.
WHY?
Perhaps it is only when we are truly desperate for God and have come to the end that He can free us from such things. That IS the thing that 'evil' does do - it holds captive our ability to be desperate and focused enough to be honest and open to our saviour.
HOW does this happen?
Andrew Murray says: 'Prayerlessness is the proof that for the most part our life is still under the power of the flesh'
love
Cathy
Posted by: Cathy Wilson | 28 July 2007 at 12:18 PM