If it’s true that the enduring attitude of a believer is a great threat to everything the enemy is trying to do, I would argue that Satan’s mentality is to pit us against God’s sovereignty. If he can convince us that God is the source of our suffering, and even more, convince us that God doesn’t love us, then he has won. There is a great battle that takes place in the hearts and minds of each person when they face trials and suffering.
If you notice, Job and his friends have been completely focused on God as the source of the suffering. There has been no mention of Satan or the enemy. We know of his involvement because of his request to torture Job with all these afflictions. I would argue this is Step 1 on the enemy’s protocol.
The enemy must convince the believer that God is the source of their suffering so that they will lose trust, hope, and faith. They redirect the focus away from this world, their sin, and the demonic forces of evil so that they begin to blame God for everything. How many people have you known who asks the question, “If God is so good, why does He allow suffering in this world?”
As believers, we know that God does allow suffering. But the absolute truth we must cling to is that His purposes are far greater than we could ever imagine. When we are placed in a position such as Job, we arrive at the crossroads of our faith. We can choose to lose trust in God, or we can choose, as Hank has written, to trust Him despite.
Even if He kills me, I will hope in Him. I will still defend my ways before Him.
Job 13:15 HCSB
“Job 13:15 is almost the greatest sentence ever uttered by mortal lips! Let us ask for grace to affirm it.”
F.B. Meyer
These thoughts are so counter-cultural. They make zero sense to the world. They require the gift of faith to understand. But this is just like God. He would send His Son to be tortured, beaten, and killed for people who deserve eternal punishment. It’s radical and offensive. It’s grace.
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might 20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come
Ephesians 1:18-21 NASB