Revelation 12:4-6 (NIVUK)
…The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. 5 She gave birth to a son, a male child, who ‘will rule all the nations with an iron sceptre.’ And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. 6 The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.
This is perhaps the most obscure and dramatic version of the Christmas story – I have never seen a dragon in a nativity play! But instinctively, we know the part the dragon plays. The dragon is the powers that rage against God. The plural is deliberate, in true Revelation style it could represent Satan, Herod, human selfishness and pride all at once. To be truthful, there’s a bit of dragon in all of us. The story of Revelation is that whilst the dragon rages against the baby, God protects it, and through love, sacrifice and humility, it overcomes the dragon.
Do you feel the dragon within you? Pray for Christ’s forgiveness and love to help you overcome it.
Do you feel the raging of the dragon against you? Pray that God will protect you and enable you to overcome it with Christ’s love.
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