Just A Simple Flick

“But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you.” (Lu 11:20 AV)

The people marveled at the ability of Jesus to cast out devils. The world wants us to think the devil and his minions are greater in power than they actually are.  Hollywood like to portray the evil forces of this world as capable of destroying mankind and the planet in very dramatic and violent ways.  This is why horror films are so popular.  The world is attracted to powers greater than itself.  The problem is they refuse the greatest power of all.  As we saw yesterday, the wicked are more afraid of the grace and mercy of God than they are the wickedness of Satan.  The phrasing that Jesus uses expresses remarkably the comparison of God and the devil.  All it takes is the finger of God to control the entire spiritual world.  Just His finger.  It takes no effort at all for the God of the universe to defeat the forces of evil.  That is more than encouraging.

Sometimes we get the feeling that the forces of evil are winning and the world is out of control.  I am not a fan of amusement park rides.  Most are designed to throw you around and make you feel like the ride is out of control.  It doesn’t matter if it is the tilt-a-whirl, or a very tall rollercoaster.  The ride is designed to make you exist on the edge of survival.  The thrill of cheating death is the thrill that drives people to these rides.  One of the steepest roller-coaster rides in the world is found in my home state and city.  It wasn’t a particularly large rollercoaster.  But the initial drop pulled you down faster than gravity.  At one time, this rollercoaster was the steepest in the world.  But that was many decades ago.  To survive the ride, one must be strapped in.  If a failsafe tripped, it would end the ride. If the restraint would become dislodged, the ride was over.  Riding the coaster gave you a sense of fatal chaos.  Teetering on the verge of eternity made for an exciting ride.  People like myself who cannot deal with the fear of heights or falling, this ride was torture.  It was no fun at all.  This is how the world can seem to us.  On the verge of utter collapse.

Lately, the condition of our nation and world is termed by this idea.  Many wise people are seeing the violence and disfunction of our nation and world.  They are rightly stating that if something doesn’t happen, our world will collapse in utter chaos and destruction.  They are not wrong.  Never in the history of man has the world as a whole been totally out of control.  Not since the days of Noah and the day Israel made a golden calf and the entire world been consumed with the spirit of self-destruction.  If we didn’t know what the word of God said, we would say the doomsday clock is striking midnight and we are only a few dongs away from total extinction.  The level of hate toward the LORD is higher than it ever has been.  This is evident by the violence perpetrated on God’s people.  It appears as though the forces of evil are making unprecedented advancement and there is nothing that will stop them.  But there is a finger.  There is a finger that will flick them all into eternity.  One little snap of the finger, and it all goes away.  This is the God whom we serve.  This God is the God who, with one little finger, can cast the forces of evil into eternity!  And He will.  It won’t take much.  Just one little flick and it all goes away!