.jpg)
The battle was at its strongest, and the enemy was at the door. The battle had been long and hard, and the enemy appeared stronger, more numerous with bigger weapons. And so, this was their last stand. BANG! And the door shook. BANG! And everyone shook. BANG! And the door began to break. BANG! And the door weakened further. Everyone looked at their guns, and in their sweaty fear could hardly load them for their last stand. BANG! The door collapsed, and the enemy poured in like a dark tide, casting everything in shadow. The allies fought fiercely, but under the stress and strain of the failings of their people, and the losses in their army, the hope in their hearts drained out of them. They fell like flies, and soon the bodies of the allies were scattered across the floor. They were nothing compared to the ferocity of the enemy.
There was only 3 left now, compared to the 100 a few minutes ago. Surely there was no hope of survival. These were the last of the allies. The enemy had won and this was the beginning of their dark rule over this kingdom. They felt the cold metal of the guns on their foreheads, smelling the deathly breath of the enemy a few centimetres away from their faces. They heard the rough voices of the enemy grating the air about them.
One of the allies dared to open their eyes. Barely could they see anything in the shadow. But in this hopeless darkness, like the first break of dawn in the blackest night, a memory came to them. The command from the Master! A command the allies deliberately ignored earlier, in their pride and doubt and fear. Such was their focus on their loss, and the strength of the enemy, and their own strategies, that they doubted and neglected the command of their Master. He once told the allies to call on his name together every time they needed, and he would answer. They heard stories about the power of the name of the Master over the forces of darkness and their shadow in times of old. But in their day and age people rejected the stories as fairytales. “And even if they were true”, they would say, “only the greats of old could call on the name of the Master and it have any effect. And anyway, it’s an unrealistic expectation to expect everyone to call on the name of the Master together. No, not for us. The Master protects us anyway. There’s no need to call on his name for him to do that! Rubbish! It’s a waste of time to call on his name while we can focus on the battle and our strategy.”
The one who opened their eyes reminded the others of this command, and in that moment the 3 last members of the alliance realised how wrong they were to doubt calling out the name of the Master, and relying on themselves. In their shame they shouted together with one last shout “WHITE LAMB! WHITE LAMB! WHITE LAMB!”. A great change came over the enemy when they said this, and every time the 3 last members of the alliance said it, more confidence came to them, and less fear, less doubt, and more certainty that this was only thing the Master wanted them to do in the first place - to call on the name of the White Lamb together. The enemy and their shadow retreated down the corridor like a child afraid of the dark, except that it was the light! And they fled, away from the kingdom, never to return.
The place was a mess, and there was a lot of rebuilding to do, but the important thing was that for the first time in a long time there came peace and the light of the White Lamb came back to the kingdom of the alliance. Finally, they had victory, but not before they learnt the valuable lesson of calling on their Master’s name, the White Lamb. It was good of them to do this as individuals, of course, but there was a special purpose by the Master for them to learn to call on his name together, as one. And as long as they did that, his peace and light and victory shall be with them. But if they ever forgot and started to depend on themselves again, a similar or even worse fate would likely come to them.
“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” Colossians 4:2*
“Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:34-36*
Brothers and Sisters. Never forget that you are free in Jesus! No amount of darkness can change that! His power is stronger than any evil, and the hope, freedom, and future kingdom that he offers to every believer no-one can ever take away. Brothers and sisters, never cease to call on the name of Jesus! Don’t stop praying together! Pray for our chapels, pray for Wales, pray for our friends and family. May we call on the name of Jesus wherever we go. May we live like we are free. All in thanks to the Lamb;
“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29*
*All Bible references taken from the NIV
Comments