The Enemy's Revenge

As I sat there, I couldn't believe how small the casket was. I've been to services at that funeral home before, and usually the casket fills the front of the room of the little chapel. But the simple casket, not much more than a little wooden box, seemed so small - so insignificant - sitting alone on the stand.

But the life of a two-month-old child can never be insignificant. Not to the mother. Not to the grandparents. Not to anyone. Especially when the death is sudden and unexpected and not related to natural causes.

The young mother did her best to keep her composure, even when the tears were streaming down her face. She had written a message to her baby, which she read while the rest of us cried. When she said, "I had such plans for you - celebrating Christmas and birthdays and hearing you call me Mommy," there was not a dry eye in the place.

I came home and sat in the silence of an empty house. What kind of a world do we have, I thought, where an innocent baby girl's life is taken before it ever began? Tonight, while other parents are playing with their children, how can a mother stare at an empty crib and not feel the unfairness of life?

How could this have happened?

I was reminded of a parable that Jesus told His disciples. In Matthew 13 it is recorded that while men slept, someone came and planted weeds among the wheat. When the wheat sprouted, it became obvious that there were weeds intertwined with the young stocks of wheat. The servants told the owner about the weeds, and his response was, "An enemy has done this." And apparently that enemy is still at work today.

While we can see good things happening in people's lives, there are also destructive events that we encounter every day. And those evil occurrences have the fingerprint of the enemy on every one of them.

You see, I believe that Satan realizes that he lost the war at Calvary - that he no longer has a chance to convince the universe that God is unloving and unjust. But while he might be defeated, he is not inactive. He wants to destroy as many human lives as he can - just to hurt God's children. And I know that the quickest way to hurt a parent is to attack the children.

I reached over to pick up my trusted Bible and turned to I Thessalonians 4. The familiar words jumped off the page, and they seemed to bring peace to my heart.

"But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord."

I believe that someday we will look up and see our Savior coming in the clouds to take us home. I believe that there will be a young mother who will watch as an angel brings her a beautiful baby girl, and she will again hold her darling child in her arms. I believe that in spite of the enemy's revenge against God's people, we will experience a fullness of joy that will be worth all of the trials and pain we have had to endure here.

I just pray that it will be soon....

God bless you abundantly!