How many beautiful beach days have suddenly turned into a chaotic and soggy mess as a storm has rolled through; completely in disregard of anyone’s feelings or schedules, with no thought of the money, time, and effort invested into the “perfect beach day”? How many “dream weddings” have been forced to use a backup plan due to a sudden change in weather? Who can you get angry at and point all of that frustration towards? Can you yell at the skies or throw things at the storm to make it feel badly for disrupting those carefully made plans??
In the same way that it is foolish to be angry at the wind, the clouds, and the rain for ruining a perfect day at the beach, the Bible reminds us that in the times of darkness the enemy is often not one we can actually see. Not the “flesh and blood” person who’s poor behavior or ugliness is stealing our joy or causing conflict, but “the rulers of the darkness of this age” aka the devil.
In C.S. Lewis’s book The Screwtape Letters, Screwtape explains to Wormwood the principle of using “real life” to distract us as humans from the realities of the war between light and darkness. He encourages his demon nephew to use the “ordinari-ness” of life to distract mankind from anything larger than himself. He says, “Above all, do not attempt to use science as a defense against Christianity. They will positively encourage him to think about realities he can’t touch and see.”
Remember that people who disagree with us or seem to cause conflict in our lives are just as human as we are. They are not the enemy, but simply a shadow of his power and efforts.
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
Ephesians 6:12
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