It’s 2007 and no doubt by now you’ve been flooded with good wishes and blessings from around the globe. It is my hope that 2007 will be a blessed year for whoever is reading this article. The reality is though, that it’s going to be tough. Unfortunately there’s nothing magical about the flip of the calendar to 1 January, and since my informal survey of last year yielded the unanimous result that it was a tough year, 2007 will probably have more than it’s fair share of challenges.

I realised this when reading a fantastic version of the Christmas story in my favorite book in the Bible, the Revelation of John. I know people read and interpret this book in many ways, but I couldn’t help but notice that the story of the pregnant woman and child as told in Rev 12 & 13, was a Narnia-like retelling of the Christmas story, complete with ferocious dragons and other not-so-ferocious looking leopard/lion wannabes…

The most fascinating part of the story is the part where after Satan fails to kill the new-born child (Read: King Herod’s failed attempt to kill the Messiah-child), he gets thrown down to earth to make war with those who believe in Jesus. And he’s incredibly angry with us. Rev 12:17 paints it clearly “Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring - those who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus.” Even heaven is concerned as a voice cries out: “Rejoice you heavens, but woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury because he knows his time is short!”.

You see the reality is that after the Christmas story comes the chilling fact that the beast that failed to win victory over the Christ-child is now at war with those that believe in the Christ-child. And that’s us. And since we’ve just passed Christmas and are heading into the new year the reality is that yes, the new year will have struggles, purely because we are the ones that hold to the testimony of Jesus.

This middle-earth painting of the trials that are coming is bound to make us anxious about how to go ahead and fight the monsters of the new year. They are pretty imposing beasts (although I still can’t decide if a leopard that has a lion’s head and bear’s feet is actually imposing or rather just comical). Luckily scripture doesn’t leave us hanging. After a build up not unlike the massive wait for the Return of the King (Lord of the Rings. Yes I’m a fantasy fan. Maybe that’s why the love for the Revelation?), a loud voice in heaven shouts “If anyone has an ear let him hear” - for the answer is coming.

And the inspirational message about how to do battle with a beast is this: “Nothing”. Well actually not ‘nothing’ but close, it’s “Endure”. Revelations puts it like this: “He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints”. (Rev 13:10)
That’s not the message I want to hear about battling beasts. Yes I’m a man with an ego and the dream that I can be Achilles - the greatest warrior who ever lived (Troy. I only watched it recently. Yes I’m behind). And so I want to suit up with armour and fight the beast. And save damsels in distress. Not just stand there and endure…

But scripture is clear. If I try and kill with the sword I will be killed with the sword (Hey didn’t Jesus say the same thing? When Peter lopped off a centurion’s ear?). I guess the tactic to steal, kill and destroy belongs only to the beast, and not to those who hold to the testimony of Jesus.

But wait! The armour of God! (Eph 6) Surely that’s clearance for a galactic battle for me! Oh no hang on…the word ‘stand’ appears way too many times in that passage…which could mean the armor is for enduring…not swashbuckling bravado…

Yes the manner of battling the beast in 2007 is to endure. Endure really does mean to ‘remain’ and to ‘stand’. But what I never realised before is that endurance actually requires a lot of energy and a lot of effort. Endurance is not passive. And the reason is because endurance means facing the battle, just not fighting the battle. The armour of God has nothing for our backs because we weren’t meant to run. But we were meant to stand, and face the enemy head on.

To bring this down to earth a bit, what it means is that things are going to happen in 2007 that are going to be tough. That you may not understand. That no matter how you try reason and figure it out, and make plans, and fight, the problem will not go away. You will just have to endure. Not run! But endure.

This happened right at the end of 2006 for me. A massive disappointment that came my way. And I wanted to fight, and figure it out, and make a new plan, and try understand why God was doing what he was doing. And my good friend Mikey gave me some sound advice saying ‘Don’t even try figure it out dude’. But just endure.

I think it’s one of the biggest lessons I’ve learnt all year. That when facing battles the first call is to endure. Fighting may come later, but I really think there is huge power in enduring. And I think the power is in the fact that the battle is God’s. And it’s in the fact that we realise that God is sovereign, and in control, and is the one through whom we have victory. Do you believe that? Really believe that? Because if you do then enduring will seem perfectly normal. Enduring compliments the belief that God is in control and the battle is His. Enduring is a statement of faith that God is sovereign. And that is a massive affirmation for any Christian.

Paul prays for Christians in Col. 1:18 and says “Being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience…”. Our power comes from His might, and our power is for one thing only, and that is to endure. The battle is His, the glory is His, we stand and watch in awe as God slays the beast.

My prayer for you for 2007 is the same. That you may be strengthened with His power, that you may endure. And added to that I pray for the blessing of being able to watch the battle and be blown away with the reality of how awesome God is…

Posted by Rich on Monday, January 1st, 2007 at 21:24 and is filed under Articles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.