I came across an unusual Swiss story recently. It was about the Devil’s Bridge or Teufelsbrücke which is located across the Schöllenen Gorge  in the canton of Uri.

The legend is that it was so hard to build a bridge across the gorge that a desperate Swiss herdsman wished the devil would make a bridge. The devil appeared and offered to build the bridge for the village on the condition that the soul of the first creature to cross would be given to him.

The villagers accepted the offer, and the Devil built the Bridge. However, the villagers outsmarted the devil. They sent a goat across the bridge first. Infuriated by the trick, the devil picked up an enormous stone intending to smash the bridge to pieces. On his way to the bridge, the devil met an old woman wearing a cross, the startled woman immediately uttered a prayer for protection.

 The old lady’s prayer scared the devil so much that it caused him to drop the stone and flee.

That strange myth reminded me of an old truth in the book of James that I suspect some of us need to hear.

Sometimes we pay Satan too much respect, we allow him to intimidate and bully us. We certainly need to be aware of His schemes but not intimidated by his power. When faced by a Christian on their knees the Devil is going to flee. He will flee not because of the strength of our faith or our power to resist temptation. John reminds us why we can successfully resist Satan “the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4 We resist the Devil when we rely on the Spirit in prayer.

So just like that old lady when you encounter Satan, stand your ground, pray to the Lord and watch the Devil turn and run.