Can this be the one who terrorized earth and its kingdoms, turned earth to a moonscape, wasted its cities, shut up his prisoners to a living death? — Isaiah 14:16-17 The Message
I have a strong distaste for bullies. It probably comes from having been on the receiving end of a certain amount of bullying all the while I was growing up.
When I entered 7th grade, there was a practice among boys at Sunset Junior High School called initiation. The concept involved an 8th grade boy walloping a 7th grade boy in a place where he would rather not get hit, if you catch my drift. Before or after this fun little exercise, the 7th grader would get a free haircut compliments of the initiator.
The adults were concerned, I believe, and, true to form, responded in the most ridiculous way imaginable. In 6th grade, the gym teacher gathered us boys together and told us that we shouldn’t do this. "The way some of you guys swing," he said, "somebody’s going to get hurt."
I was completely bewildered. Did the gym teacher actually think we would enter Junior High and try to initiate the 8th grade boys?
Anyway, dread and fear took hold of me as I contemplated starting school. Once school started, I was constantly on guard. I made a beeline from the school bus to my class. Since nobody told me who my initiators were or what they looked like, my enemy could be anywhere. But after a few weeks of looking over my shoulder, I started to relax. Maybe I had been passed over. Maybe I would make it through 7th grade without the dreaded event occurring. Maybe I was on the home stretch to 8th grade and safety.
I started to take risks. There was a nice plaza in front of the school. I slowed down as I stepped off the bus. I stopped to enjoy the morning air. As I got more and more foolhardy, I even risked sitting down on one of the benches for a few minutes.
Then, from out of nowhere, he appeared. I knew he was one of Them. He looked at me with a sinister smile and pulled a pair of scissors from his pocket. I was trapped. I took chances and now fate had caught up with me.
Like a scared rabbit before a hungry fox, I stared at my tormentor, not knowing what to do. Then I heard an adult voice behind me.
"Young man!"
My enemy looked up. "Yes, sir," he mumbled.
"What are you planning to do with those scissors?" the adult asked. I turned and got a good look at my savior. It was a man I had never seen before. Was he a teacher? I didn’t know.
The initiator fumbled with his scissors, clumsily trying to stuff them back in his shirt pocket.
"That’s right," said the commanding adult voice. "You are doing nothing with those scissors. Don’t you have someplace you need to be right now?"
My tormentor needed no further encouragement. He turned and double stepped it into the school. I watched him disappear. He was just a kid, like me. Just a scared little kid.
I turned to thank my rescuer, but he was gone.
I think about that when I read this verse. We have an enemy who looks pretty scary sometimes. But when our Savior shows up, we will see the enemy for what he really is. Nothing compared to our God.
Be encouraged!
Dwight
Dwight Clough is the author of four Christian books and is an active member of Lake City Church in Madison. This devotional is also available via email and you may review the archives back to 2002. To contact Dwight or Kim, use their contact form. You may also support their ministry.