satan always out to kill joy...

So I have to relate a story that really happened to me, because it seems clear to me that satan was out to kill my joy.

This past Sunday, I had some really good time in the Word before church. On top of that, I was coming off a retreat where I was really encouraged at the evidence of community and the power of the Lord and His ability to work powerfully through community to bring about His greater glory here in our corrupt and broken world.

You could say I was riding on a "spiritual" high. No drugs needed. Just Jesus.

I was riding my bike to church, and a block away from my house I turn right to go up a hill. A black truck turns onto the road behind me. Now, the driver, a male, has the whole street to pass me, and I'm riding close to the curb, out of the way. The truck slows down behind me, like I'm impeding its progress (he still has the whole street and an open lane)...after a few seconds, he roars ahead of me, slows down to cut me off, rolls the window down and yells "get on the god$*#$ sidewalk you motherfu*(#$".

I don't think he was talking to my bike. I was surprised at the random outburst, but wasn't really affected. My mind was on the earlier solid time with the Lord that morning and in that moment, I prayed for the guy in the truck.

I kid you not, not but 2 minutes later, I ride up to a major intersection, pull off on to the curb so I'm completely out of the road, and this time, a gold truck pulls up fast to the intersection, rolls its window down and yells "get on the $*$% sidewalk you idiot". Then quickly turns the corner and starts to speed off.

This time I quickly got enraged. I'm going to admit, not the right reaction. I was a little dumbfounded at how uncoincidental these two trucks with angry men yelling at me to get on the sidewalk were so close together in time (when riding your bike on sidewalks is against the law in most cities).
In my quick enrage, I flipped this truck guy the bird, and he was quick to flip it back. I was also gearing up to yell something to challenge him to come back and get out of his truck and I would get off my bike and then we'll see who would be up on the sidewalk, crying for momma. But I didn't.

I don't think these men were inherently evil, but I have to wonder about satan's ability to bring about evil through different means. My reaction in anger to the second guy wasn't right. Call me crazy, but after the fact, as I kept riding on to church, I was struck at how aggresive and timely these biker-hate events took place immediately after some solid intimate time with the Lord.

"Be of sober spirit, be on the alert your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." (1 Peter 5:8 NASB)

After I arrived, church was great, the teaching was very solid and worship was fulfilling. But I couldn't help but think for the rest of the day, and how clear it was to me that satan is tireless, quite crafty, and will use any means necessary to distract or try to destroy any joy or intimacy, any at all, that arises between the Lord and me.