A friend of mine has a great-grandson now, a splendid little
chap, and I noticed how bright his eyes are. Not only because they are brand new;
but it’s as if the light shines from within out into the world; this is seen in
the newly Baptised.
Similarly it is seen in the passion and idealism of youth.
Often though the promise of youth gives way to the mediocrity of middle-age,
compromises made, troubles mount up, and overwhelmed by the cares of this world
we can easily be ‘taken out’ by the enemy of our souls with his menu of false
gods and quick fixes. So many men fall into alcoholism, pornography, adultery, gambling,
etc. and it’s a growing trend.
There are many reasons for this but what is central I think
is forgetfulness. In our age particularly we have forgotten that we have an
enemy and that the devil is devoted 24/7 to our eternal destruction by whatever
means he can use. By ourselves alone we are quite powerless against such a
being. We also forget that we were never designed to live independently from
God.
We cannot live independently anymore than a baby in the womb
can without its mother providing all the nutrients it needs to grow and arrive
safely into the world. Our Prayer life is rather like an umbilical cord
connecting us with God. Our time on earth might be likened to gestation in the
womb, growing as we are fed. At death we are delivered into heaven.
We really need to get back to prayer, so we can be open to God’s
grace which is sufficient for the days’ troubles. Our reliance on God and
growing relationship with Him, only achievable through daily prayer, is the
only thing that can keep the enemy of our souls at bay and enable us to triumph.
