You have been noticing something, and it has troubled you for a long while, a kind of rhythm to the unkindness you meet, a tide of cold shoulders and averted eyes that seems to ebb and flow like an invisible current. You step out into the world some days and it feels bearable; other days it seems as if a harsh, unseen hand has turned every face against you. Not a word spoken, but the dismissal is there, the snub, the little cut that leaves you wondering, “Am I imagining this, or is there something more?” And you have even begun to wonder whether the prince of the power of the air, that old enemy of our souls, might be stirring the wind to blow such waves your way.
You are not imagining the pattern. Scripture itself tells us that the evil one works upon the air, upon the spirit of an age, the temper of a world that lies in the wicked one. And just as a gust of foul wind can seem to sweep through a crowd and make every face hard, so the prince of this world can, for a season, sharpen the cruelty of those who do not know Christ. It is possible, indeed more than possible, that the waves you feel are not mere coincidence. But listen to me, do not let that thought unsettle you, for I have a sweeter truth to set before your soul. The Prince of the power of the air is not the only Prince abroad. There is another, the Prince of Life, the Lord Jesus Christ. And when He walked this earth, He too faced the waves of men’s contempt. They snubbed Him, they turned their backs, they called Him a glutton and a winebibber, they took up stones to throw at Him. He knows the taste of that cup. And yet, He never was tossed by it, for He knew that even the winds and the waves obey His Father’s will.
Look here. You remember how it was with the children of Israel in Egypt: the more they were afflicted, the more they multiplied. The enemy meant to crush them, and God made the very crushing into a strange sort of blessing. The bitterness was not taken away at once, they groaned under taskmasters for many a long year, but all the while the Lord was working His own purpose, and the evil itself was made to serve His ends. Even so, these cold seasons you endure are not outside the circle of your Father’s hand. The devil may mean to wear you down, but your Lord means to make you stronger, tenderer, more fitted for His kingdom. The very waves that batter you are driving you closer to the Rock.
And will you think on this? The rudeness of the world is often nothing more than a black-edged envelope around a love letter from your God. For when men are harsh, you learn to turn the more eagerly to Him who is gentle and lowly of heart. When you find no welcome in the streets, you find a welcome at the mercy seat. The prodigal, when he was a great way off, weary and hungry and despised, found that his father saw him and ran to meet him. So your Heavenly Father sees you in those very moments when you feel most ignored and cast aside. He does not pass you by; His eye is upon you, and His heart yearns for you. The world may frown, but the Father’s face beams with everlasting kindness.
Do not let your mind be fixed too long upon the enemy, as if he were a rival prince who might snatch the scepter from Christ. It is a poor sort of meditation that goes moping about the devil’s doings. Turn your eyes instead to the Prince of Life, who holds the keys of death and hell, and who has already conquered the power of the air. He has bound the strong man, and though the strong man still rattles his chain, he is a defeated foe. Whatever he may stir up against you is but the hiss of a serpent whose head is crushed. You are safe in the love of Christ, and no wave of human coldness, however orchestrated, can drown you. You are not at the mercy of the prince of the air; you are kept by the Prince of Peace.
And as for those days when the chill seems most biting, do this: consider that your Lord may be permitting you to feel it so that you may learn to find your all in Him. When the world’s smile is withdrawn, His smile becomes more precious. He is perfecting that which concerneth you, and even the rough instruments of men’s neglect are tools in His hand. The mercy of the Lord endureth for ever, and that mercy wraps you round when all other coverings are stripped away. The ship may be in deep water, but the Pilot is on board; the night may be dark, but the Father’s hand is leading you.
Now, let us turn this into prayer. O Lord Jesus, our Prince of Life, look upon this dear soul who has felt the sting of the world’s coldness and wondered at its source. Be Thou their comfort and their shield. Remind them that Thou art greater than the prince of the air, and that none can pluck them out of Thine hand. Turn these bitter waves into a tide that bears them nearer to Thyself. And grant them to know, deep in their heart, that in Thee they are received, loved, and perfected for ever. Amen.
Prayer Focus: God, Thank You for loving me. Thank You for loving me, Jesus. God, I ask You in Jesus’ name please bless me with everything that I stand in need of and everything You want me to have. 
