Week Four - Observation 1

"The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry," or so the saying goes!  That was today!  Good plans to get up early and get blog posted, but didn't allow enough "early" time to be able to get everything else done that new regimens require before making a morning doctor appointment.  Good news is that Robert's thrush showed some slight improvement, and recommendation was to extend IV antifungal meds.  Somewhat concerning is that doctor is not convinced that laryngitis is 100% due to the infection and may have some other causes.  Going to have to give it some time and see once the thrush is resolved.  But we would really appreciate prayer that the thrush continues to decrease and that Robert's voice returns without any other problems.  He is growing weary of whispering, and having to clap to get my attention if I'm out of the room!  

We've seen how Paul suffered and chose to trust in God rather than himself; we've seen how Jesus suffered and did so with obedience to His Father, entrusting Himself to our righteous Judge; and we've seen how fellow Christians suffer for their faith and for doing what is right (we may have even experienced that), and that all trials allowed in our lives can purify and refine us so that we reflect God's image more accurately.  This week we're going to look at how living out these truths impacts the life of the believer.

That's our question this week: How does suffering in a manner that honors and glorifies God change the life of the believer?

And our memory verse this week?  "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, kmowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.  And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."  James 1:2-4

OBSERVATION 1

Job 1:6-12  "One day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them. The LORD said to Satan, 'Where have you come from?' Satan answered the LORD, 'From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.' Then the LORD said to Satan, 'Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.' 'Does Job fear God for nothing?' Satan replied. 'Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.'  The LORD said to Satan, 'Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.' Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD."

                  

We're going to start off with one of my least favorite Bible stories - isn't that an encouraging note to start out on? :)   JOB   Now I know it all ends well, but there are some really bothersome things that go on in this story.  Things that make us go...."huh???"   Like the passage above!  Does the picture of God and satan having this discussion bother anyone other me?  But as I've said before, when something bothers us in Scripture, that's when we have to study and dig and try to learn.  Don't ever try to assume or presume the meaning in difficult passages - that's where we can really get into trouble and head off into bad theology!

Read Matthew Henry's commentary on these verses:

Job's afflictions began from the malice of Satan, by the Lord's permission, for wise and holy purposes. There is an evil spirit, the enemy of God, and of all righteousness, who is continually seeking to distress, to lead astray, and, if possible, to destroy those who love God. How far his influence may extend, we cannot say; but probably much unsteadiness and unhappiness in Christians may be ascribed to him. While we are on this earth we are within his reach. Hence it concerns us to ( 1 Peter. 5:8 ) This is the common way of slanderers, to suggest that which they have no reason to think is true. But as there is nothing we should dread more than really being hypocrites, so there is nothing we need dread less than being called and counted so without cause. It is not wrong to look at the eternal recompence in our obedience; but it is wrong to aim at worldly advantages in our religion. God's people are taken under his special protection; they, and all that belong to them. The blessing of the Lord makes rich; Satan himself owns it. God suffered Job to be tried, as he suffered Peter to be sifted. It is our comfort that God has the devil in a chain, ( Revelation 20:1 ) . He has no power to lead men to sin, but what they give him themselves; nor any power to afflict men, but what is given him from above. All this is here described to us after the manner of men. The Scripture speaks thus to teach us that God directs the affairs of the world.

When I read through the above commentary and then re-read the verses in the Bible, I come to these conclusions:

1. We have an enemy that doesn't really know us, but can observe our circumstances and knows our history.  He roams the earth watching our actions and looking for our vulnerabilities.

2.  We have a Father who completely knows us - knows who we are, because we are His creation.  He knows our strengths and He knows our weaknesses.  

3.  Our earthly blessings, while gifts from God, are not guaranteed to us.  As Matthew Henry states, "It is not wrong to look at the eternal recompence in our obedience; but it is wrong to aim at worldly advantages in our religion." We do not obey God in order to gain earthly reward.  God gives, and God can take away.  It is all in His hands. 

4.  God does allow satan to oppress His children, but He has power over satan to limit his oppression.  

5.  God is completely powerful and sovereign over all - including satan.

Do you think those are fair assessments of this situation?  I feel better about this heavenly scene than at my first glance, do you?

Now let's look at our second passage for the day:

1 Peter 5:8  "Be sober! Be on the alert! Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour."

Doesn't this verse just dovetail into the account of Job?  Satan had been out prowling around and noticed Job - but what he noticed was that Job was faithfully obeying God so satan naturally assumes it's because God has given Job everything he has ever wanted.  Who wouldn't be loyal to a God who had blessed them so abundantly?

Do we ever fall into this trap?  Do we find ourselves praying, "Thank You, God, for all you have blessed me with and please keep blessing me.  I really don't want a life with anything less.  You've been really good to me and I will do whatever You want if You'll just keep blessing me like You have."  Now we may not be that direct, but when we pray for continued lives of comfort and plenty rather than God's best will for us, then we may be falling into the level of faithfulness that satan assumed Job was.  

Or, "God, what did I do to deserve this?  I've been faithful and obedient and now You've allowed this problem to invade my life.  Why would You do that to me?"  

Does our obedience to God and our faith in God promise us anything here on earth?  We have no idea of the bigger picture that God is dealing with in spiritual realms --- and we have no idea what He is working together for our future good by allowing us hard things to deal with today.  We just have no idea!  "For as heaven is higher than earth, so my ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:9

So for our first day, I think we can say that suffering should allow the believer to see that God is truly sovereign and that we ever may never understand all the reasons.  We should come to a greater level of absolute surrender to God's will and His purposes.  

What do you think?  I'm really wanting to hear from you all on this one!  It's a tough lesson!

In His Amazing Love,

Janice