The Underbelly of Evil: Let’s Trust God To Fight For Us!
I bought a new thatch doormat in Paris a while back. It was very thick, dense and sturdy. I loved it. Even though it was slightly too small for my entryway, I overlooked its shortcomings because I was so enamored with it. After all, it was so tres French! But weeks later, when it came time to tidy up the porch, I lifted up the mat. To my horror, I discovered a haven of refuse. Underneath, assorted dead bugs, dirt and decomposed leaves proliferated under my otherwise stylish souvenir. Part of me was sorry I’d flipped it over at all. But sadly we can’t ignore filth forever, even if we can’t see it. The same is true of the underbelly of evil: let’s trust God to fight for us! We can stop trying to fight alone. In His strength, we can and will overcome any evil, seen or unseen.
All The Dirt We Cannot See
The unseen realm of all that is not good coexists in our natural world with what appears good. For the most part we are often unaware of its pervasive existence. Evil is like the underbelly of a doormat. In our daily experience, we walk about in a world of seen things. What becomes familiar to our eyes is comforting. But the Bible speaks of an unseen world of “dark principalities.” Our oblivion prevents us from seeing these battles between good and evil. Why does this world remain unseen to most? In part, it’s because God protects us from what we can’t handle. Not everyone is able to handle the same level of revelation that someone like, say, Daniel, experienced. But we’ll get to that a little later. First let’s begin by understanding exactly what we are up against.
Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:12 that “we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world against spiritual wickedness in the heavenly places.” Our enemies are not limited to creatures walking the face of the earth. Sometimes we limit our understanding by adopting this misconception. After all, it may feel uncomfortable when we initially acknowledge the existence of this unseen world.
We might also fail to understand where evil might lurk. The location of these evil principalities, even in the heavenly places, is quite shocking to consider. After all, we are more comfortable imagining wickedness confined to places that seem to advertise or welcome bad behavior. But deep down we all know that sin isn’t exclusively compartmentalized to strip clubs, opium dens and casinos. Corruption starts in the mind and then is wrestled with in the heart. And often thoughts and emotions give birth to deeds whether the offender is at home in the dark or standing under the bright lights at church.
And in Job 6 we read that the sons of man, namely, Satan and his minions, came to “present themselves before the Lord.” The passage goes on to say that they had come from roaming “on the earth,” implying that they were present before God in the heavenly realm. So it’s probably fair to say evil is unbridled and can lurk anywhere geographically speaking.
The Prophet’s Periscope of Prophecy
Historically, Ezekiel and Daniel both received insight into the unseen world. We read in Ezekiel 8 about how the “hand of God” fell upon him. That hand brought Ezekiel to the temple gate and further still to the entrance of the court itself. There, God instructed him to literally dig into the wall itself. The prophet saw for himself what he described as “vile abominations” committed inside the temple courts. Prior to this revelation, Ezekiel was unaware of this layer of filth given birth in men’s dark hearts and committed in God’s house. The facade of godliness still prevailed. But God revealed the abomination to his chosen prophet. The same revelation can occur in our own lives. We can refuse to lift up the “mat” in our own lives or partner with God as He shows us sin in our surrounding environments as well as in our own lives.
Daniel also received glimpses into the corruption of men’s hearts and various misdeeds birthed into bad behavior. God revealed to him the “abomination of desolation” and various other future visions involving the increasing evil that will bear down at the end of times. In Daniel 7, the prophet receives initial glimpses as he interprets the dreams of Nebuchadnezzar.
As Daniel receives these insights, God continues to enable him to focus on looking to heaven and the divine plan God created for His people. How gracious of God to frame these insights for Daniel since he concedes in chapter 7 verse 28 that his “thoughts greatly alarmed” him and even changed his coloring. How Daniel essentially models the same game plan of trust for us is the blessing receive through his account. We too can trust in promises and his perfect love as we lean into a God who faithfully casts out all fear (1 John 4:18.)
All The Light We Need to See
I’m fully aware this won’t be the most popular topic I’ve addressed in a blog. After all, feeling good about our world and especially about ourselves continues to trend, culturally speaking. Mottos like “we’re doing the best we can” or “the try is enough” circulate in convos and social media posts. But if we want to live an authentic, godly life, we need a “come to Jesus” moment that involves mat lifting. And not just the mats of global concerns or even of others. Our own “mats” need examination and cleansing. I know mine does!
When we acknowledge our sin, repent and recommit ourselves to God, our tidy porch becomes an offering of submission to God. He transforms a filthy smokescreen into a clean space welcoming to His divine presence. Because darkness cannot coexist with the light, we must take this crucial housecleaning step. And, like cleaning, it isn’t a “one and done” proposition. It’s an ongoing maintenance of our hearts and minds.
All the Love We Need to Welcome
The irony in the welcome mat lies in not simply trusting in what we see but understanding what might not be seen. We would do well to continually ask God for discernment about what remains unseen. Not that we need to dwell on that. But only that we are divinely aware of the presence of evil in the midst of all that is good in this broken world. In 1 Peter 5:8 Peter reminds us that the devil prowls around like a lion waiting for someone to devour.
Asking God to keep us aware and sharp in the presence of enemies, seen or unseen, without being preoccupied, is simply a sound way to live. What a blessing it is that perfect love casts out all fear. (1 John 4:18) When we hone in on internalizing God’s love, the things that are in opposition to godliness lose their power to intimidate and undermine our faith and our plans. We can walk daily in His strength under His protection and in the joy of knowing of the glorious life to come!
