“Have you considered my servant James?” “Have you considered my servant Rachel?” “Have you considered my servant Tim?” “Have you considered my servant Sarah?” “Have you considered my servants across the earth?” We live in a time right now where there is a lot of anxiety, fear, doubt, and a feeling that things are in chaos. Many are asking right now, “Where is God?!” or “How can a loving God allow this?!” There is an event surrounding the life of a man named Job, which tells us that God is always here, He wants us to remember His authority, and that we are going through this because He believes we can pass the test against Satan because of our faithfulness to the Lord.
“Many are asking right now, “Where is God?!” or “How can a loving God allow this?!”
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In the bible, there is a book called “Job” which recalls the events that took place in this man’s life, which happened somewhere between 2166 B.C. and 1446 B.C.. Job was a man who lived in the land of Uz and he was “blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil” (Job 1:1). Job in today’s age would be considered a wealthy and successful man. He possessed many cattle, which defined the wealth of a person during that time, had 10 children, and just seemed to be enjoying the blessings God had provided. As the first chapter continues on, there is a conversation between God and Satan. Here is what happens;
“Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.” And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.”-Job 1:6-12
As a reader right, whether you’ve read the bible cover to cover, heard about this story, or never picked up the bible, you are probably asking “What’s up with that?! God allowed Satan to do this?!” The answer is simply, yes. While you wrestle with that reality, you might be asking as well “Why?” Let’s read between the lines to better understand what is going.
Verses 6 and 7 tell us that Satan was roaming around the earth. Now, this blog is not meant to explain in detail about the spiritual realm. I do encourage you to watch Mark Driscoll’s sermon “God and Angels vs Satan and Demons” where he goes into full detail in explaining the spiritual realm. You might be thinking right now, “Hold up, time out Mike. Are you saying that you believe in angels and demons?” Yes, yes I do. I believe there is a spiritual realm that we can’t see at this time, and the forces of that realm are fighting for us or against us.
Before you scoff at that notion, let me ask you this, How often do you check a horoscope? Have you ever played with an Ouija Board? Did you ever allow some to tell you “your future”? Have you ever had someone “read your palm”? If you said yes to any of those, by submission you believe there is some spiritual presence. Now, back to the conversation with God and Satan.
“How often do you check a horoscope? Have you ever played with an Ouija Board? Did you ever allow some to tell you “your future”? Have you ever had someone “read your palm”? If you said yes to any of those, by submission you believe there is some spiritual presence.”
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Satan is roaming around the earth today just as he did during Job’s time. He’s roaming to devour someone (1st Peter 5:8). That’s what he was doing right before his conversation with God. That’s when God asked, “Have you considered my servant Job?” Why does God says this and why does He allow it? First, we need to understand that when God is asking the question, He is asking Satan, “Have you found any weakness in my servant Job that could cause him to stumble?” The reason for this question is to imply that the enemy will find nothing to cause Job to stumble. This doesn’t mean Job is perfect, but he is righteous and faithful to God.
The question God asks Satan is one we need to ask ourselves; “Is there anything that can cause me to stumble that the enemy will use as a foothold?” I’ll be honest, I have to be on guard everyday to make sure the enemy doesn’t use a spirit of fear, anxiety, passivity, anger, and lust to slow me down. If I’m not on guard and don’t ask God to empower me through the Holy Spirit, especially during this unique time, the enemy will tempt me to given into my flesh. Since Job is faithful to God, God knows that Job will pass this test, just like God believes you can pass the test. The enemy however, doesn’t think so.
“Is there anything that can cause me to stumble that the enemy will use as a foothold?”
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When you read verses 9 and 10, we see Satan accusing both Job and God. He accuses Job for only loving God because he gets blessed by God. Satan then accuses God for buying human love by giving them blessings. In verse 11, Satan throws down a challenge, and in verse 12 God grants permission with a rule stating that Satan can’t stretch out his hand on Job. Verse 12 is a significant verse because it shows the sovereignty of God. While Satan is roaming around the earth, God is sovereign over the enemy. What Satan will do to Job is evil, but God is going to make the evil and terrible situation work together for His good and glory (Genesis 50:20. Romans 8:28).
“While Satan is roaming around the earth, God is sovereign over the enemy.”
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So where is God in the midst of this unique time with the coronavirus? Where is He in the midst of your personal storm? He’s with you. He is with us. While times seem uncertain and uneasy, He is in full control. As a reader, maybe you are struggling with the fact that you aren’t in control of this situation. I know I have! Because I recognize that struggle, I need to depend on Him even more. I encourage you today to stop trying to steer the boat you aren’t meant to steer. Hand over the wheel to the Captain and have faith that He will get you through the storm.
Stop trying to steer the boat you aren’t meant to steer. Hand over the wheel to the Captain and have faith that He will get you through the storm.
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Mike
Thank you for taking the time to read “Where Is God?!” If you found this blog helpful, I encourage you to 1.) get on our email list so you can receive notifications for new blog entries and 2.) to share this information with others who you believe will benefit from it. We talked about letting God be in control. If you are someone struggling with letting go over control, or even fearful of what is going on right now, below is a song called “Still In Control” by Mack Brock that I have singing to of late. I also encourage you to start reading the Book of Job in the bible. I believe God will reveal to you, like He has to me, that He is truly in control of this situation with the coronavirus and any personal storms you are dealing with. Don’t go through this alone however! Call a friend or someone you trust that you can share your struggle with and go through the Book of Job together. Stay tuned for next week’s blog post “How Do We Respond?” as we look at Job’s response to the test he faces.
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