we tremble not for him
his rage we can endure
for lo, his doom is sure
one little word shall fell him
Personally the phrase "focus on the words" makes me squirm. It's commonly used amongst worship leaders with good intentions. However, it's overused and often abused in the name of genuine worship. The reality is the words have no power in and of themselves. The significance of the words comes only from the truth behind them. And the truth behind them only comes from the God of all Truth. Therefore, the words are not to be our focus by any stretch of the imagination. The focus is, and always will be, God. We meditate on the truths about God expressed by the words in order to give Him the glory due His name.
So what does my mini-spiel have to do with Martin Luther's famous hymn (and one of my favorites at that)? I have sung A Mighty Fortress is our God quite possibly over one hundred times. Of course I know the truths behind the lines (or at least I have a hunch). But when it comes down to it, I am not sure how much I believe what I have sung about in the past. My fourth, and final camp experience has been unlike the other three. The main reason revolves around each camper suffering from at least one severe mental disorder. As a result, I am experiencing first hand just how grim the prince of darkness really is.
As many of the gospel accounts depict, some mental disabilities are more spiritual than anything else. Many of the demon possessed individuals Christ healed were not what we imagine them to be. They were mute, suffered from seizures, lame, and the like. There were also those who showed great strength and other signs from the various exorcism movies Hollywood calls entertainment. Now I am not saying every disability is a result of the evil one. I am not even saying those which are guarantee possession. For this camp, it seems to be more of an influential thing than anything else.
There are two children in particular who come to mind. One is an orphan girl who came to camp with her friend, also an orphan. At times she is a happy child who loves to sing. Most of the time she screams in sheer terror. It happens in the morning, throughout the day, and at night. Very little can be done to sooth her from her screaming. As she screams she becomes limp. She will also bite and scratch herself until she draws blood. If people try to interfere she will not hesitate to scratch or bite them (I got my butt pinched as she was passing by me in the midst of one of her episodes). Our team has prayed for and over her many times, but a handful of the counselors grow discouraged. It's hard to believe the last line of the hymn when many words don't seem to have a similar result.
The other boy came with his mother and brother. He is a large boy who can't sit still. At first notice you might think it is merely extreme ADD or some sort of autism. His attention lasts for maybe five minutes before he needs something else to do. But he doesn't don't look for other options, he screams, runs away, and throws things along the way. He will sometimes take off his pants and run around screaming as well. The more concerning issues arise with his reactions to anything involving God's Word and prayer hints otherwise. As we have attempted to pray over this boy his screams grow in volume and frequency. He has only been able to sit through the Bible and Missions classes when he is asleep. The night time devotions also guarantee his absence. It's a huge burden for his mother who constantly chases after him, trying to calm him down. By God's grace she is a Christian, but her husband offers very little assistance. His younger brother is a blessing, but can only do so much. As with the young girl, our counselors are growing discouraged (and exhausted) in keeping up with his antics. It's hard to contemplate enduring his rage when just four days has already left us physically, emotionally, and spiritually drained. Please pray for our campers, parents, and counselors. Spiritual protection is not taken for granted when the battle is felt so closely.
In no way am I writing this to express my doubt in the power of God's Spirit or in Christ's victory over the evil one (and his forces) on the cross and empty tomb. It's more a reminder that focusing on words isn't enough. Even when reading God's Word, we need to do more than just focus. I can repeat over and over again "greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world" (1 John 4:4), but unless I start to understand and believe the truths expressed by the words I will have nothing more than a mantra which people can listen to. God is far more powerful than everything in this world. Nothing is too great for Him. Every book of the Bible reminds us of this truth at least once. And it is these truths which we claim as we battle against the forces in the spiritual realm. For these truths tell of the great King whom we serve and how He achieved the victory by dying on a cross. He is an almighty King and His name is Jesus Christ.
were not the right man on our side
the man of God's own choosing
dost ask who that may be
Christ Jesus it is he
Lord Sabaoth is his name
from age to age the same
and he must win the battle
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