Are we winning?

 

Wow! When I read the headlines or watch the news (my first mistake) it sure seems like we are NOT winning. Just like Superman or any of the other superheroes of fiction, we are a part of the REAL battle between good and evil. The battle started in the Garden of Eden and spilled into all of creation. The war has been raging for thousands of years and I admit, it looks like evil is winning. 

Here are the first few verses from the Prophet Nahum:

"This message concerning Nineveh came as a vision to Nahum, who lived in Elkosh. The Lord is a jealous God, filled with vengeance and rage. He takes revenge on all who oppose him and continues to rage against his enemies! The Lord is slow to get angry, but his power is great, and he never lets the guilty go unpunished. He displays his power in the whirlwind and the storm. The billowing clouds are the dust beneath his feet. " (Nahum 1:1-3)

When I read this I thought, "I don't see the guilty being punished very much. The only storms I see are the ones raging against God's people." What I see is evil attacking innocent men, women, and children in the Middle East. What I see is people outright rejecting God, cursing him, and making sure those who do follow the Lord are ruthlessly persecuted. What I see is death, greed, murder, destruction, violence, hate, oppression, and countless other sins against God and humanity!

It seems to me that we are NOT winning?

Did you notice anything special about these verses from Nahum? Who is Nahum writing about?

Nineveh.

Does that ring a bell? Do you remember Jonah, the big fish, and his defiance in obeying God? YES, Jonah ends up being right? The people of Nineveh accepted the Lord, but a century later they were back to their old ways. Jonah was not nearly as patient as the Lord. He wanted God to destroy Nineveh and get even with them for the evil they were doing. Instead, God showed them love and patience. One hundred years later it looked like evil won!

Yet, Nineveh and the entire Assyrian Empire fell! God won. It took some time, but God won. He gave chance after chance after chance to the people of Nineveh. He was patient and YES, some were saved. He was slow to anger, but in the end, this good God we serve will win. He cannot tolerate evil and injustice forever. 

So, if you are a part of the evil in this world, time is running short. Repent and turn to the Lord. If you are not a part of the evil, if you have turned to the Lord, and, like me, complain because it looks like we are losing. Take heart, God wins and we will reap the rewards of eternal life in paradise. I can't wait! I might not understand or even agree with God's patience and SLOW anger, like Jonah, but we can be assured that God will win. Until then here is what we are called to do:

"Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, 'I will take revenge; I will pay them back," says the Lord. Instead, 'If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.' Don't let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good." (Romans 12:19-21)