The Broken Link

“This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil…‘Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has?  You have blessed the work of his hands…But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face’” Job 1:2, 10-11.

‘When good people suffer, the human spirit struggles to understand.’  NIV Study Bible, p. 730.   Since the time of the garden, Satan maintains that the righteousness of God’s people is linked to the blessings they receive.   His agenda is clear and precise:  Seek to alienate the heart of the righteous from our God, and place an irremovable wedge between God and His children.  ‘Satan is sure that he has found in the very structure of creation an opening to accomplish his purpose’ p. 730 – breaking the link between righteousness and blessing.  As much as I abhor Satan I must admit that his theory has merit in certain seasons for all of us.

How many of us face our seasons of adversity and spend more time feeling like God has abandoned us?  We question God’s faithfulness as we sit in the bank line to deposit our paychecks.  We complain and accuse God of not loving us as we enjoy the health of our children and the love of our family.  Our demands of understanding the why’s of our experience fall short with our limited human understanding.   If Satan can attach his evil intentions to our relationship with God then he has temporarily hammered in this wedge.  If we allow those evil thoughts and lies into our adversity we create a stronghold for Satan to sow instead of God to grow.

God treasures our righteousness above all else and His patience and love will outlast our ungratefulness and confusion.  It is our natural tendency for the flesh to demand answers but we also must acknowledge that there is a war in the spiritual realm between good and evil, Light and darkness.  ‘Righteous sufferers must trust in, acknowledge, serve and submit to the omniscient and omnipresent Sovereign, realizing that some suffering is the result of unseen, spiritual conflicts between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan’ p. 731.  If Satan has attacked you with tough circumstances, continue to trust God for His goodness, His faithfulness and His unfailing love.  Never forget that all suffering was ushered in as a result of Satan convincing mankind that God was withholding His best.  His theory has been working since the beginning of time so why would he change his ammo? 

Our righteousness and devotion to God is our weapon for which we must hold up.  Let us remember that while our times may be overwhelming, God is the Overcomer!