.....red

Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. Revelation 12:3

One of the many delightful friendships God gave me in my ministry was a church member named John White. John was in IT sales, and was very good at what he did. But his greatest heart was for worship. When God called our church to begin contemporary worship, He called John to be the worship coordinator. 

All the years we worked together I tried to get John to accept a stipend from the church for his work, but he refused. He volunteered fifteen to twenty hours every week, coordinating every aspect of the contemporary service... and God blessed his ministry beyond words. Lost people came to the service off the street, and came to faith in Christ. Marriages on the road to divorce were redeemed. Drug addicts were healed. God moved in mighty power. Worship was led by the Holy Spirit. And all of us were transformed by his love and grace. 

Each week, John led the worship team in prayer before the service began. And nearly every week he included in his prayer the phrase, "Lord, please paint the dragon red."  I'd never heard it before, but I have used it many times since. It means, "Lord, please show us where the enemy is at work. Show us what he is up to. And give us your wisdom and power to stand against him in your name." God honored that prayer. He still does. 

Know this fact: the dragon is indeed red. Blood stained. Malicious malignant. Here's the good news: the help you need is as near as a prayer! 

- james c. denison