Have you ever had so many problems that they seemed to tear you apart? It's those times when everything that could go wrong does. Things break, a check bounces, the car won't start, the air conditioning goes out, blood pressure goes up, money goes down, the truck is out of gas, the credit card won't work, milk spoils, biscuits burn, the cable goes out, the toilet overflows, the hot water tank bursts, the student loan didn't come in, you get fired, got a ticket, rent is due, car is repossessed, husband cheats, your wife creeps, children act up in school, neighbors hating and the dog ate up your favorite shoes. -- When it happens, it really gets on our last nerve and when it happens one after another, it is something that makes you want to scream!
When it seems like an evil presence is just following you around every day bringing one type of misfortune or another, that's when you start to think about Hell Hounds. In mythology, a hellhound is a supernatural dog that hunts down souls. Different cultures have a variety of references to hell hounds.
Some have them guarding cemeteries; others have them chasing down the souls of the lost. They are said to have sharp teeth and are vicious with supernatural powers to tear their victims apart. Hell Hounds are not real of course, but when conditions begin to tear us apart, we think about hellhounds.
In the 1930's, the term "hell hounds" became a part of African-American folklore when the famous Mississippi Bluesman Robert Johnson recorded a hit song entitled "Hell Hounds on my trail." Earlier, Sylvester Weaver had written the lyrics, "Hellhounds start to chase me man, I was a running fool, my ankles caught on fire, couldn't keep my puppies cool." As the years passed, "hellhounds" began to refer to trouble, evil, difficulties, or storms, in the common vernacular. Whenever the hellhounds chase someone, it means that trouble or enemies are always close by.
As Christians, when we face the troubles of the world, we should speak words of faith to our situation with confidence that God will step in at the right time and lift us from our misfortunate circumstances.