Almost Invincible

"These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover." - Mark 16:17-18

I wonder what it would have been like, to be a disciple and hear those words. To hear how safe and protected I would be, as long as I preach the good news. What wonderful things I could do now that I know I'm protected from harm!

And while Jesus is informing them of the protection they'll experience, there's a bit of an unspoken gap here - that the disciples will encounter hardened hearts. People that wont change, that wont like what they say, and will openly debate, yell or even fight with those trying to spread that Good News. And while they'll be able to perform these miracles as proof, there will always be those who won't believe them.

And that's as true as it was then, as it is today. It's an unfortunate side-effect of our humanity. That we can be presented with overwhelming evidence, and still choose to ignore it. Maybe because it makes us feel small, or less in control, or maybe even a little scared. Maybe because we think we have enough "things" to keep us happy or safe. Maybe it's because we're too embarrassed or proud to place our trust in something bigger.

But we need to be reminded that there's a loving God, looking out for us. Even when bad things happen, even when our lives are at their darkest, God is with us. And we need to remind ourselves that, while God may not clear away every branch, may not fight off every beast, He still loves us, and wants to be with us.


It's up to us to decide - do we want to be with Him?


Or do we want to go it alone?