2008
witchdoctors & me
You could call me a skeptic. I am sure some have thought of me as one.
I firmly believe in God and take the record of Scripture as authoritative. I believe God interacts with us daily. I also believe in the devil. I believe he and his cronies are intent on messing up everything they see God working with. I believe there are angels and there are demons who can affect, on behalf of their respective leaders, the physical reality that we operate in.
But that’s where I get fuzzy. How does this all work? What percentage of things are the result of spiritual warfare? Is it pretty small (say 10%), or maybe its about half of the time, or is pretty much everything that happens the result of, or at least affected by, what is going on in the spiritual realm? Its not that I don’t believe its going on, I just don’t feel horribly attune to what is going on. Ginna is far more observant/sensitive to these things than I am.
The recent plane crash in Doro is why I am thinking about all this again. Apparently, a local witchdoctor in Doro has said he is responsible for the plane crash. He said he had cursed SIM’s efforts related to the new medical clinic that just opened in Doro. Now I’m not saying he is or isn’t responsible, but I just wonder what is really going on. Is he really responsible for this crash? Could he have had something to do with the sudden death of an SIM doctor in Doro earlier this month? How much power can those who seek demonic power actually get?
It makes me think of Job. Satan was able to bring all sorts of calamity upon Job, a loyal God-fearer. However, God set the parameters for what was the devil was allowed to do. Which begs the question, “Why would God allow Satan to do anything to Job?” If God has the power to limit Satan’s work, why not just tell him to do nothing. I’m sure the answer is not too dissimilar to the reason God allows the world to continue to spin on in its broken and marred state. He has purposes. The types of things God cares most about (i.e. building hope, faith and love) require difficulty. Hope and faith cannot grow without suffering. Love cannot be fully demonstrated in comfort. Its a tough idea to wrap your mind around.
So what if God allowed Satan and his little ambassador in Doro to bring down this plane? Apparently God allowed it, but would not allow anyone on board to be killed (every eyewitness’s account of the wreckage expressed amazement at the fact there were survivors). So what is He up to? Perhaps He is using this instance as a catalyst to draw more attention to what He is doing in Doro. Perhaps He is getting the attention of our team and reminding us of the battle taking place in this remote village. Perhaps He is allowing the stage to be set for a showdown between Him and this little witchdoctor to show the people of Doro that God is powerfully involved in our day to day lives. We don’t know. We have lots of questions and a couple guesses.
These things we do know:
- “The one who is in [us] is greater than the one who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4)
- “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Eph. 6:12
- We are dependent on the gracious care and protection of God
- We really need a solid prayer team as we prepare to minister in the overt spiritual warfare that is going on in southern Sudan. If you feel God calling you to this, please sign-up.
It is these things that give a clueless guy like me the confidence to still plan on flying into a village where the forces of darkness may be trying to wreck my airplane.
The “witchdoctor” would be more believable if he announced the plane crash in advance. Taking credit for a crash after-the-fact is just a way to keep his peeps in line.
It may have been plain old human error that caused the crash and God’s hand that saved the lives?
Let me add one more thought. The Lord never promises us an easy road in His service. In fact, He tells us that we must each pick up our cross and follow Him.
Paul spent years in prison or confined in chains, and he suffered from an unspecified thorn in his side. Tradition holds he was executed in Rome for Christ’s sake.
Tradition holds that Peter was crucified upside down in Rome – again for the sake of Christ. Stephen was stoned to death. Indeed, we believe most of the prominent early church leaders died violently.
On the other hand, God at times showed His power in relation to His disciples and apostles. He allowed Paul to be bitten by a deadly viper, but the bite had no effect on Paul. Jail cells crumbled. Chains fell off.
So, where does that leave us? What are we to make of a God who clearly can intervene to save His children from harm but who often does not?
For me, the primary answer is the cross. Although we have a darkened, backwards understanding of God’s plan (“through a mirror, darkly”), we may have a clear understanding of His character.
We worship God – the One who gave his own Son so that we might live. Thus, not through words but through actions God set out the ultimate marker of His character.
“I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.” Phil 3:10-11
That is why we strain “toward what is ahead.” He loves us, and we get to be with Him forever in heavenly glory. Even though now know things only in part, we will one day know “fully.”
Then we shall know why this plane went down and why God spared the lives of His servants. Until then, we know that God, who made the ultimate sacrifice for us, will ultimately draw us to Him.
Not sure if you’ll see this because I realize this post is a year old. I have just come across your blog and have been reading from the beginning. Just wondered if, a year later, you have any other thoughts on this?