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Scripture Reading - Romans 13 v1-14
On Tuesday 8th May 1945 - Victory in Europe Day - King George VI, in his broadcast to the nation said “Today we give thanks to Almighty God for a great deliverance... Germany, the enemy who drove all Europe into war, has been finally overcome...In the hour of danger we humbly committed our cause into the hand of God and He has been our strength and shield”. In the early months of 1945, the Allied Forces, having crossed the Low Countries and the Rhine, stood on the cusp of victory with Germany stretching out before them. The enemy had been delivered a mortal blow and would inevitably fall to defeat. The victory had been won which was, in the words of the King, a “victory through dangers which at times seemed overwhelming”.
In 2020, the Coronavirus pandemic has been described as the biggest global threat since World War 2; it is an unseen killer which has affected over 3 million people and brought about almost a quarter of a million deaths across the world! This is a danger which is overwhelming countries in its spread and we need, again as a nation, to commit ourselves unto God because He alone is our strength and shield.
God’s Word teaches us that right from the Garden of Eden, wars against the darkness of evil have raged and created struggles. The battle between good and evil is still fought today on many fronts. The greatest, most significant battle to engage any person is that of sin and the devil. It is a continuous campaign which threatens the existence of each and every person born into this world. It is global, national and personal at one and the same time! And yet, the victory has been won. When Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose again from the grave, Satan had been defeated.
Paul writes to the Roman church in verse 12 “The night is far spent, the day is at hand” - for us, God has delivered His salvation, sin has been overcome. Whilst daily, like our forefathers 75 years ago, we fight against the rear guard action of a defeated enemy; victory is assured. Christ our Saviour is the guarantee of victory; He is the One who helps us in faith to overcome the darkness of our fallen humanity. The instruction of Romans 12 is “let us put on the armour of light”, a wonderful reminder that we ought to surround ourselves in Jesus as our protector. And again, we ought to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ” so that, by God’s grace, we are able to fight whatever lies ahead of us. The war is won but there are battles still be fought until Jesus comes again. But we can declare with great confidence that all we need is to be found in Him as we are taught in 1st Corinthians 15v57 “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ”.
By Wor. Bro. Rev. John Noble, Grand Chaplain