I’ve had a burning in my heart all week for this post. Thankfulness is always the goal, but it will come from a different angle this week.
The writer of the book and now famous movie “Lord of the Rings” tells this story with a prophetic insight to much of what is really happening behind the scenes of our lives in this season.
The Ring
A great lord forges a ring with the intent to control, manipulate and corrupt all creation. No one is able to resist this ring. Within seconds of coming in contact with this ring the individual would thirst for power, become suspicious of all others and become completely self-absorbed. The love for this ring would open the doors to another world, a hidden one, that only the individual could see and would cause them to think their perspective was right and their mission the most important. It corrupted like nothing ever seen before.
The Humble Ones
There was only one species that did not come under the power of this dark ring so quickly. A species called Hobbits. They were little people and they had three things that made them immune to the power of the ring. First, they were humble by nature. Second, they had no desire for power because they were perfectly content with their lives and the way things were. Third, their culture was built on strong relationships and family and treating people well and caring for others. No one could completely resist the ring, but what would take seconds to anyone else would take weeks and months to corrupt a Hobbit.
As more and more are affected by the dark nature of this lord, war begins to break out over the whole earth, and before long, no one, not even the Hobbits were able to resist doing something to protect life. Peace had been taken from their world.
Peace Removed
In chapter six of the book of Revelation one of the first things the Lamb does is he breaks some seals. The second seal reveals a red horse and a rider with the power to take peace from the earth. I am old enough now that I can vividly remember a time when people were very different. The atmosphere was very different. I talk to a lot of people and one of the things that comes up often is the number of people that do not have peace. They do not sleep well; anxiety and fear has a grip on them and cannot be shaken. Many need drugs and alcohol to calm them after a long day or to help rest at night. They use energy drinks to stay on edge, caffeine to keep them awake, and liquor to numb them. It is not uncommon for me to hear of people watching TV all night or needing to sleep with the lights on or refusing to be alone in silence. I prayed for someone a few months ago with many of these issues and broke the power of this darkness. Today, they testify they are still experiencing peace.
Our Nature Reveals Who We’re Serving
The idea in the story is the ring represents whatever it is that has become your lord. Maybe it’s your kids, or your career or even your way of life. Maybe it’s your ethnicity or race or even your religion. These are all rings that aim to control and manipulate our emotions. They cause us to become absorbed by them and they shape our perspective. We become suspicious of others and committed to our cause. We will march, picket, curse and for some even kill for what we believe is so important. To protect our ring and in the end, we fear what we cannot see. The ring alters our perspective and makes our survival paramount. It’s always me over you at whatever the cost. The dark lord has forged his ring and now he manipulates our emotions and responses. When people have no peace, a society has no chance.
The Humble are Servants to the King
I am thankful today for the Hobbits. There are yet many Hobbits in our midst and each day more are choosing to become Hobbits. Don’t misunderstand, you don’t just choose to join Hobbits, they are transformed into Hobbits by the King himself. They are little people in the sense that they don’t need to be heard or have to get their way. They are not looking for power or a need to prove anything. They are committed to relationships and serving others. While the ring wearers are screaming, “what is the government doing?” The Hobbits are engaged. They see a crisis and they are acting, they are sacrificing, they are making a difference even when it goes unnoticed. Nothing ever escapes the eye of the King.
The Weak Become the Strong
One of the biggest changes in the story was the respect the Hobbits earned once others saw what they were capable of doing. Hobbits carry a burden to usher in a new kingdom and see the rightful king given his reign. They attack the dark lord and seek to destroy his ring of power over others. Just like the story, we know the end and yet, here we are still facing the battles. Don’t underestimate the humble ones, they are relentless, passionate and fierce. They may look harmless, but unlike the others they have peace from the king himself and they are resolute. Watch out! Regardless of what you think, things are about to get interesting. The battle is about to change.