Over the years, I have seen God's grace and efforts come in many forms to reach the lost, and lately I have seen it again through the means of Hollywood. God will use whatever he can to reveal His heart for His children. Last night I saw it in the unique movie called Cowboys and Aliens. The heavenly Father's heart came through a simple message from an old country preacher who gave his life to help others while fighting the forces of evil. In this wild movie the evil forces are aliens and they are referred to as "demons." These demons have flying machines and weapons never seen before by these folks from the little town of Redemption. They are afraid and yet they also know they must face and fight this enemy or the world will be lost. And so the old west is confronted by a new enemy in which they have never seen the likes before. All the people, both young and old and from various beliefs and backgrounds are forced to come together to fight an uncommon enemy instead of each other. Working together they manage to overcome great obstacles including their differences, fears and flaws; and ultimately see the good in each other. In the end evil is defeated by their determination and willingness to sacrifice for the sake of others and those they love. Although this movie wasn't a great blockbuster, I see the message from the old preacher as the real "gold nugget" not the gold for which some men or even these aliens deemed worthy of killing for.
The country preacher gave one scared man some very sound advice. This man had questions his faith in a God, and if God really cared or want to help him. So the old preacher kindly told the fearful man, "You can't expect God to do everything for you...You got to earn* His presence. Then you got to recognize it and then you have to act on it." Wow, ain't that the truth! And then later the preacher, in his dying breath, tells the main character who is wanted by the law, "God don't care who you were, son...Only who you are." Again this is the message God has for all His children in this broken world we live in. Right! Plus, when we know who the real enemy is, it's a lot easier to love and help each other.
Note: In this movie, as in many others, God's name is blasphemed by some characters, yet God's grace is still there. However, someday they will all come to know Him and honor His holy name also.
* "To earn" God's presence—one should yield and wait on the Lord. The gift of salvation is free, but our participation and obedience is still required.
