Satan Wants To Drive A Wedge

Satan Wants To Drive A Wedge

Satan replied to the LORD, “Yes, Job fears God, but not without good reason! You have always protected him and his home and his property from harm. You have made him prosperous in everything he does. Look how rich he is! But take away everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face!” –Job 1:9-11

In the story of Job, Satan comes before God after roaming around the earth. What has he been looking for? He’s been looking for an opportunity . . . an opportunity to defeat God, to prove himself more powerful than God, to be worshiped as God. And it was God who brought up the name of Job. Why? Because Job is such a beautiful example of what pleases God—a person above reproach. I think Job must have had an incredible track record of faithfulness in the face of difficulty as well as success (and success can be as much a test of our godly character as difficulty, can’t it?). Evidently Job had proven over and over again that he would be faithful to God no matter what.

But Satan was skeptical. He accused Job of loving God only for what he could get from him. Satan thought Job was in a relationship with God only because Job was supernaturally protected by God and had a comfortable life. He figured that if Job’s comfortable life was taken away from him, he would turn on God. You see, Satan recognizes that if we are in a relationship only for what we can get, at the first sign of difficulty, if we’re not getting what we want, we’re out of there. He understands our consumer mentality toward the things of God—a mentality that is sometimes stronger than our commitment to the person of God.

Satan wanted to drive a wedge between God and Job. That was the big goal, the big question. Would Job reject God when trouble came, or would he be faithful to God no matter what, thwarting Satan’s plan and supposition? And the question is the same in your life. Satan wants to alienate you from God, and he will use whatever means possible to accomplish that goal, including suffering. Will you allow Satan to use your suffering to drive a wedge between you and God, or will you determine to be faithful, no matter what?

Lord, I don’t want to let anything come between me and you—not the hurts in my past or the pain in my future. Give me the strength and grace I need to keep cleaving to you in the midst of my suffering.

DIGGING DEEPER