BEWARE THE EVENING WOLVES

By John Stallings


Habakkuk 1:8 speaks of “The fierce evening wolves.” A little research on the subject reveals that these evening wolves of Habakkuk’s day would come out when the shades of night began to fall & devour unwary prey. The evening was a time when animals & even human beings would be weary from the toil of the long day in the burning Sun & looking for a little rest in the cool of the evening.

Habakkuk was using the wolves as an analogy of the enemies of his people & how they would swoop in at the most inopportune moments to attack; a moment when the people were least expecting problems.

Likewise we fight an enemy who attacks our minds & emotions at the worst possible times. Times when we are the most exhausted, vulnerable & discouraged & much less likely to put up a fight.

The other day I was reading a very disquieting piece about discouraged pastors & other Christian workers who are quitting at the rate of 1,000 every month in the U.S. They opt out. 50% of those who finish Seminary leave the ministry within five years after graduation. …..50% of planted churches don’t survive the first few years…50-70% of clergy spouses work outside the home…33% of all pastors have been fired at least one time…The average church in the U.S. has 90 people or fewer in attendance…Pastors spend up to 40% of their time dealing with “negatives”….51% of churches in the U.S. have had a major conflict that has hurt attendance…Seven people or less in a church can cause a major disharmony & it only takes a week of contention to destroy a decade of church contentment.”

One thing that surprised me was a good percentage of men who leave the ministry become Funeral Directors. But then again as I write these words it doesn’t surprise me that much & I could even think of a funny line or two but will resist the temptation to write them.

I’m not going to try to draw a lot of conclusions about the aforementioned but will let you draw your own. I have tasted the bitter & the sweet in over fifty years of ministry & can attest to the fact that “sheep bite.”
We might even draw the conclusion that many who leave the ministry were never truly called. Others I’m sure were called but lacked the faith to continue, not understanding that when God calls he’ll make it happen.

Maybe you aren’t in the ministry but can understand what “the evening wolves” are all about because you’ve been attacked by them & have been tempted to give up on your dream. We tend to look at all our shortcomings which are very real, but we must look to the Lord who has said in many ways & places in Scripture: “I am the Lord & the word which I speak will come to pass.” Ezekiel 12:25

It’s when we’re tired & hurting that the wolves will come. After all that’s what they do—attack in “the evening.” If we’re not careful we’ll tend to be like the two disciples who walked the road to Emmaus & “had trusted” & “had hoped” that Jesus would redeem Israel. (Luke 24:21) But Jesus showed up & walked with them that day & that’s what He’ll do for us to show that when all seems lost, He’ll see us through.

Joseph had a dream & when they threw him into a pit the dream went with him. He was put in prison but the dream went with him. It seemed all was lost but in retrospect we know it wasn’t. Really, nothing was lost over the thirteen years Joseph was imprisoned because his dream was a God-thing. I’m sure the evening wolves came around during those years but Joseph kept his eyes on God which is what we must do.

Do you have a dream or do you know someone who does (maybe like your pastor?)

Don’t let the evening wolves destroy that dream. By that I mean, stop focusing on the problems. They may be real but so is God.

I wrote a song years ago that goes like this;

STOP DWELLING ON THE PROBLEM,
JUST REMEMBER WHO JESUS IS.
STOP DWELLING ON THE PROBLEM,
JUST REMEMBER WHAT JESUS DID.
YOU’LL NEVER BE REALLY FREE,
YOU’LL NEVER HAVE VICTORY,
TILL YOU- STOP DWELLING ON THE PROBLEM,
AND MAGNIFY THE LORD WITH ME.--------JAS.