As I take another look at Avengers: Endgame from this past weekend, I’m reminded that God has already won the war going on around us. This is confirmed in the Bible! “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12, NIV). Satan’s endgame was to kill Jesus, but he didn’t succeed because Jesus rose again!
When it comes to movies, you might not like to know the end because you enjoy being on the edge of your seat! But you can’t live your whole life like that. No one gets excited about bad things happening (kids running away, marriages hurting, etc.). So it’s good that you don’t see everything in the future. But the Bible is prophetic and a spoiler alert! It’s still exciting, though, because with Christ, we are more than conquers. “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37, NIV). You are only set free when Jesus sets you free, and He is the only thing that can satisfy you.
In the film, Hawkeye deals with the loss of his family by taking vengeance on “the bad guys.” He doesn’t have hope, and he doesn’t even want it. Living without hope is torture. Hope is a motivator, and when it’s lost or dashed, it has devastating effects. For Hawkeye, his life spirals out of control. Black Widow tries to help him see the error of his ways and help him find hope. This leads to them both fighting over who’s going to make the sacrifice. Black Widow wins the fight, and while her sacrifice doesn’t solve the entire problem (her sacrifice helps gather one but not all of the Infinity Stones), it does help and brings hope.
While you don’t know everything that’s going to happen to you in this life, you do know you were created with a purpose, that God has already won the spiritual war raging around you, and that you have reason to hope! This life is about so much more than the day to day struggle, and you have to keep the right perspective. John 4:15 says, “The woman said to him, ‘Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water’” (NIV). Lean on Jesus to quench your thirst, and trust the “endgame” will be a direct result of God’s victory.