Nothing But Noise

"I didn't get connected and grow and take in the Source of Life in order to throw fresh peaches at crows."

THE DEVIL AND A PUPPET SHOW. The devil and a pantomime. Putting on a play-acting farce filled with half-truths and sounds-goods. Doing a voiceover, an imitation, able to make a cartoon out of nothing. The devil in an angel suit, leftover from the last performance, and a fan to flutter plastic wings, scary lighting to give it em-PHAS-sis.

I felt fear. I knew fear. I wallowed in fear, caught up in all the pretends the devil could con up. He’s got his speaker in my ear playing the same music, doom-gloom-and-agony-on-me, and I sucked up every drop of it. Took a shower in it. Soaked to the skin in what was a bunch of fake koolaid, a sugar substitute. I lived it, hated it, held onto it. Gave it to Jesus.

I’ve sat at the play since then, many times refusing to listen to that paper maché recording. Like how they used to do background sounds for the movies. The tracks of a cougar in the snow was some guy on his hands and knees smashing plastic. Crunch-crunch on steroids. The devil’s the wrong recording of an eagle, only it’s really a hawk. The movies do that, too. They didn’t think Old Baldie sounded tough enough, so they switched him. I got that from a guy who once led a whale out of a river channel using recordings of whales. True story.

Point is, caw-caw said the crow. There’s the field of corn, all dried up, and the crow sneakin’ in to take what he wants. Sorry fella, but God gets this one. I have no fruit on the vine for you. I didn’t get connected and grow and take in the Source of Life in order to throw fresh peaches at crows. Blow hard enough and that crow’s nothing but feathers stuck to Styrofoam. Truth is, the devil’s “this high” and all mouth. He can talk a game but the board he’s on has been crossed off. Solved. Tic-tac-toe with all the squares x-ed out. And he’s kicking at the ink.

Only place the devil gets in us is the one we give him. Either through ignorance. We didn’t know any better. Or through deception. We believed his performance. He’s the father of lies. The truth is found in Jesus Christ. The Word is truth. We have the Spirit of truth in us. For us. God who cannot tell a lie, cannot act either. Well, except for the Holy Spirit, who made a scary hand on the wall for King X. Or who knocked over the idol Dagon and left the villagers doing the square dance. I could go on. The list is long.

Point is, God cannot tell a lie. Will not tell a lie. And did not tolerate the enemy destroying people but sent Himself to earth to defeat the devil. God is God. The devil is a fallen angel. It’s no match. And there is no other living god. Bow and scrap all you want to whatever you want but the only One able to answer prayers is the One who did so when we didn’t deserve it.

He answered mine. Consumed by fear, the devil casting a shadow on the wall, I stared long enough to make it into depression and terror and sleepless nights. Then I cried out to God and the light came on. God pulled the curtain back and showed me all the enemy’s levers and gears. We’ve nothing to fear. Nothing. God who could part a huge body of water and dry the soil in minutes, God who didn’t stay dead but breathed life back into His body and glorified it, no more death, that God never panics, never fears, but is everlasting, eternal peace.

And in His peace, we go forward. Leave the devil in his superhero pjs and put on your armor. Take hands with the Spirit, look upward to Jesus, and pray to the Father while you make the next step. I promise-promise-promise, they will go with you.

“For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward:” (Deuteronomy 10:17)

“Know this: God is God, and God, God. He made us; we didn’t make him. We’re his people, his well-tended sheep.” (Psalm 100:3 MSG)

“God is God, he has bathed us in light. Adorn the shrine with garlands, hang colored banners above the altar! You’re my God, and I thank you. O my God, I lift high your praise.” (Psalm 118:26-29 MSG)


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Suzanne D. Williams, Author
www.suzannedwilliams.com
www.feelgoodromance.com