Job 1:9 – 12
Have you ever wondered how much Satan has to do with things
in your life? So many Christians do not understand just how much Satan’s able
do in their life, but God knows. God is Omniscient which means God knows
everything, not a few things, not some things, not most things, but everything.
The truth of the matter is Satan can do nothing unless God allows it, in fact
no being in existence has any ability at all except that it be given to them
for the All-Powerful God. God created every being in existence as He chose what
he wants them to be. “Hath not the potter power over the clay…” Rom.
9:21. People have a hard time understanding what God is able to do, but please
understand that every creature is exactly what God has created it to be, “Hath
not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto
honour, and another unto dishonour?” Therefore, God created Satan to be
Satan and to be the evilest creature in existence. Satan, at the time Lucifer was
a high-ranking Angel, even an Archangel until He fell. Today we know him as
Satan, the archenemy of God and even everyone connected to God. Satan has great
powers, and if God allowed him, he could and would kill every Christian on this
earth. However, as we saw in the event of Job, he is limited to God’s power. God
said to Satan, “And the LORD
said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself
put not forth thine hand...” This means that Satan was able to do as he
pleased with everything Job had, but Job himself was not to be overtaken with
sickness nor was his life to be taken. Can you imagine what life would be like
for you if God was to give Satan that power over you? Satan asked God, “Hast
not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he
hath on every side?” Job 1:10 The answer was yes God did, just as God has a
hedge over all of us. A hedge is like a fence for our protection but also for
our restraint in life. Satan also told God about Job, “thou hast blessed the
work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.” Yes, God
did bless Job with much and Job knew that God had and this is why when this
satanic persecution came upon him, he never cursed God. Job realized a truth
very few people understand, and that is God provided him with everything in
life and if God took it all, he was still blessed. This is why Job said, “Naked
came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD
gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. In all
this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.” Job 1:21 – 22 This is
simply amazing, Job had so much and lost everything, he did not pout, he did
not ask God why, he did not curse God, he was not mad at God, he did not blame
God, he didn’t even blame Satan, he simply “blessed be the name of the LORD.
As God’s
children we must understand that God has a hedge about us and with that hedge
we are protected as well as we are restricted by God. We live, move, and have
our being by the grace and power of God. Our strength is in the Lord and in our
understanding as to exactly what God has ordained for us in this life. Every
part of our life from birth to death and beyond is exactly what God has ordained for us. Paul understood this when he
said, “by the grace of God I am what I am” 1 Cor. 15:10 and Jesus
understood this throughout His life and even in His death. Job blessed the name
of God and Jesus never opened His mouth but suffered as God had ordained. “For
I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent
me.” John 6:38.
The truth
is, Satan can only harm us as much or as little as God allows him too. As much
as he would love to make our life miserable and even kill us all, he cannot. We
all need to stop looking for someone to blame for our miseries in life and be
like Job, and continually bless the name of God in everything.
