The shadow of the Wizard looms over Dorothy’s entire story. He’s the one with the power to get her home. He’s the one the whole city of Oz revolves around. Everyone is in awe of him, respects him, obeys him.
He is, of course, a sham.
The façade depends on no one looking too closely at what’s really happening. The pyrotechnics and smoke and booming voice help keep everyone looking in the wrong direction.
Oz, the great and powerful.
Oz, the beneficent.
Oz, the one in charge.
But he’s powerful because people assume he’s powerful. The whole illusion comes undone when Toto tugs the curtain back to reveal the charlatan spinning the wheels and pulling the levers. No Wizard, no wish-granter—just a sad little man who used a few parlor tricks to keep a whole metropolis blind to the truth.
Satan is a little different. Behind his curtain, he’s not powerless. The accuser of the brethren is more than capable of wreaking havoc on God’s people. Dorothy and her friends could have taken the Wizard in a fight—but us? Satan would crush us underfoot without a second thought.
At least, that’s true when we’re on our own.
But we’re not on our own.
We have a set of armor that can absorb his every blow (Ephesians 6:13), and weapons “mighty in God for pulling down strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:4).
He’s convinced the world he’s in charge. He parades himself as the god of this age—the dragon, great and powerful. The one in charge.
But behind the curtain is a cherubim who rejected God but can never defeat Him. No matter how he attempts to derail God’s plan of salvation—in this, he is and always will be powerless. When we stand with God, the threat he poses is ultimately an illusion. No amount of hardship in this life, no “sufferings of this present time” can take away “the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18).
In the end, Satan loses. The curtain is pulled back. God’s people rise.
Our enemy doesn’t want you to think about that. He doesn’t want you to pay attention to what’s truly behind the curtain. He wants to be larger than life in your eyes. He wants you to stay focused on the pyrotechnics and the smoke and think about how scary he is, how much stronger he is than us.
Don’t buy it.
We should never take Satan lightly. We should never imagine him to be anything less than a vengeful powerhouse who would snuff us out given the opportunity. But we should also never forget that, when we stand with God, he never gets that opportunity.
Elisha told his servant, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them” (2 Kings 6:16). And we, like David, can stand in battle and ask, “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1).
Our battles with Satan are not easy. They are not without wounds. They are not something to be ignored or laughed at or mocked.
But they aren’t impossible, either. We can win. We will win, if we stay the course.
Stand with God and take up His whole armor, “that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (Ephesians 6:13).
Draw your sword, plant your feet. Remember what’s really behind the curtain, and don’t give up.
In the middle of every challenge we find hope, in every sabbath we find strength and purpose in his word we are given life through faith. Thank you again for the lift.