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by Nathan Buck

[This is a multi-part blog post series. Please be sure to read the previous weeks, starting here.]

In JRR Tolkien's story The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, there is a fantastic moment where Gandalf rescues Theodin, the king of Rohan. In the movies made in the early 2000's, it’s a powerful scene where Gandalf releases Theodin from the spiritual possession of Sauroman. Theodin was stuck; he was overwhelmed by the power of Sauroman, a wizard he trusted. Sauroman was once good, or so everyone thought. Inside Sauroman was a pleasure in having power that corrupted him and lead him down the path of becoming "gray" and then "black," even though he still wore white. Sauroman made it appear that Theodin was overcome with an illness and unable to speak clearly. Through Theodin and Grimma Wormtongue (the king's aide) Sauroman started manipulating the Kingdom of Rohan and weakening it, so it would be easily crushed by the army Sauroman was forming. If you haven't seen the movie in a while, I recommend at least pulling up that scene on YouTube here.

The point is, sometimes we need help, and sometime others need help to escape the gray. Sometimes we get so overwhelmed by the power of a thought, an idea, a cultural norm, or even a spiritual influence, that we lose the ability to think clearly and discern what is good.

It’s important to realize when someone is stuck physically, intellectually, emotionally, or spiritually, mercy and rescue (maybe even 'exorcism' like Gandalf did for Theodin) can help.

Read Jude 1:23. Jude reminds us that contending for the faith is not about winning arguments and protecting cultural habits. It’s about rescuing, and sometimes wrestling hard to rescue people from the gray and bring them to the light. Gandalf doesn’t attack Theodin the king; he battles Sauroman, the false white wizard “who has become gray as Gandalf went from gray to white.” Sure Theodin gets bumped around, but there is a protective focus and a confidence in the power of what Gandalf is doing that allows him to aggressively free Theodin without worrying about him being hurt. To me, that is a picture of what Jude is saying here. Rescue those around you by contending for the faith.

If they are caught in some doubt, fear, or a spiritual battle, there may be a struggle against the darkness that is overwhelming them. Engage with confidence in God’s power and His love for that person. He has the power to rescue them, and He may have placed you there at just the right moment to contend for their very lives.

Are you in a place where you need help from someone who is a follower of God and lives confidently in His power? Are you in the life of someone who needs mercy, and maybe even physical or spiritual rescue from the things they have been drawn into? Ask God to show you who may help you, or who you are to be a help to. And then trust his power to get you (or others) unstuck from the "gray" places that you find yourself in.

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