Isaiah 14:3-4
In that wonderful day when the Lord
gives his people rest from sorrow and fear, from slavery and chains, you
will jeer at the king of Babylon and say, “You bully, you! At last you
have what was coming to you.
The
Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by
permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois
60188. All rights reserved.
Greg and I started watching
the new “24” series on DVR last night. We watched every season of the
original series, so we thought we would give these episodes a try. If
you are not familiar with the “24” series, each episode represents one
hour in a 24-hour day. A digital “clock” counts down the time in a
particular hour, so that if a commercial break is 3 minutes and 30
seconds, that amount of time is removed from the hour when the actual
show resumes. Over the course of 24 episodes, we will follow a story
that supposedly took place in one full day/night.
It’s been three
or four years since the original “24” series ended, so I had to sort of
regroup and remind myself of how this all goes. At one point, I said
to Greg, “By the end of this show, Jack Bauer (the lead character,
played by Kiefer Sutherland) will fix everything.” He replied, “I don’t
think so…it’s just the first hour of the 24!” Oh, yeah! That’s
right! We will have twists and turns for another 23 episodes before
this is all resolved! I think we pretty much know how this will
ultimately finish. There will be surprises along the way and the finale
may not be exactly as we pictured…but I’m pretty sure the “bad guy”
will get his/her just desserts.
This series has tension and drama
and often leaves us on the edge of our seats. But all we have to do is
remind ourselves that it’s just a TV show…that we can rest and relax.
The shoot-‘em-up scenes are not real…the torturous interrogations didn’t
really happen…and there isn’t really a bad guy lurking behind every
door! I’m sure in the end, we will root for the “good guys” and cheer
that the “bullies” got what they deserved.
We have to laugh
sometimes, because in the course of “24 hours”, Jack Bauer can survive
attacks, falls from multi-storied buildings, car crashes, beatings,
wounds and injuries that would be the end of most mere mortals in the
first 10 minutes! As Greg reminded me sarcastically…”It’s only a flesh
wound!”…and our hero is soon on his feet and headed back for more! He
seems to have a supernatural strength and stamina!
We “regular
Joes” are faced with countless challenges throughout our lifetime. Our
daily activities may not be as exciting – or as harrowing – as Jack
Bauer’s. But there will be times when we come up against obstacles that
are daunting, to say the least…and sometimes downright terrifying and
exhausting. We will wonder how we can make it through an entire day…and
who truly will “win” at the end of it!
Thankfully, as
Christians, we are undergirded, quite literally, by Supernatural
strength and power. We are able to stare down the “enemy” with the
more-than-able protection of our Hero and real-life Savior, Jesus
Christ. We really do know how the story ends…and Who wins! So as we go
through each day and handle tasks and trials both great and small, we
can do so without sorrow and fear. We can rest in the protective
shelter of God Almighty…and we can anticipate the “ultimate rest” in His
presence when our life’s journey ends.
Ours is not some
made-for-TV fantasy thriller…this is real life, baby! With Christ in
the leading role, we’ve truly got this! Are you with me?
©2014 Debbie Robus
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