Lord, Don’t Pick Me

Scripture: 6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and [e]Satan also came among them. 7 And the LORD said to [f]Satan, “From where do you come?” So Satan answered the LORD and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.”8 Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you [g]considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and [h]shuns evil?”9 So Satan answered the LORD and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing? 10 Have You not [i]made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 11 But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse[j] You to Your face!”12 And the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your [k]power; only do not lay a hand on his person.”

Lord, please don’t choose me! Have you ever said this or even thought this? Have you ever been going through something and thought, “Oh no, I hope the Lord didn’t ask Satan has he considered me”? Although, many believers seem to enjoy the story of Job they don’t really want to have a “Job” experience.

The story of Job that many enjoy and many have preached on gives us a small glimpse of how things above work. There is so much one can gleam from reading about Job. Moreover, there are many reasons people may enjoy it. It was here that some learned that Satan can’t just do whatever he wants to do and that he has to have permission to “touch” us. For many, Job, is where they learned that God is indeed in control over everything.  Another reason some may enjoy reading about Job is that they saw Job was restored/healed, Job regained what he had and more, that despite his trials God’s grace made it possible for Job to be resilient during his time of testing and that ultimately Job overcame his adversities. No one willing ask for such a test. Even our Lord, in His human frailty, asked for the cup He was given to be taken from Him. Given what Job endured, the average person would have indeed cursed God to His face. But as the Bible tells us in Job chapter one that Job was more than average. The Bible describes Job as a blameless, upright man who feared God and shunned evil.

Did you get that? It says, Job was blameless and by definition that means innocent of all wrongdoings. However, this does not mean perfect. The Bible tells us that Noah was blameless (Gen. 6:9) and Abram was directed to be blameless (Gen. 17:1). Neither of these men were perfect. Nonetheless, being blameless is a character trait that made it possible for Job to endure what Satan had planned and what God allowed. In a blog, written by Dr. Lee Wimberly, entitled Blameless before God the author wrote that a person who is considered blameless is 1. Reliant on God’s faithfulness, 2. Rest in God’s grace alone, 3. Is mindful of God’s unfailing love, and 4. Trust in the Lord. Job, indeed, was blameless.

The Bible goes on to say that Job’s behavior made him strictly honorable and/or honest (upright) and that he did not play with or mock God instead he feared God, and he avoided (shunned) evil. Again, Job was not the average believer. As a result of Job’s great character, he was blessed immensely by God.

Reading Job should make a person aware of the type of person God wants them to be and aware of what God expects from us when test or trials arise. Very quickly in Job there is a plot twist. After learning about this blameless and upright man who has a large family, much wealth (land & cattle) tragedy befalls him and the tragedy came at God’s suggestion. Job 1: 6, tells us that the Lord was having a meeting with the “sons of God” and Satan came along. Consider 1 Peter 5:8 where Peter told us to be sober and vigilant because our adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. At that meeting, God asked Satan where he had been and Satan answered from going to and fro on the earth, and walking back and forth upon it. The plot twist comes here: at this time the Lord ask, have you considered my servant Job; there is none on earth like him. Oh, Lord no, please don’t bring me into Satan’s radar. Satan had not considered Job; God suggested him! Consider the fact that Satan didn’t consider Job because he knew that job was protected by God. However, Satan did not believe that Job was truly blameless, upright, fearing God and shunning evil simply because but because God had put a hedge around him and blessed him greatly. Satan boldly said that if God withdrew his protection and took away his blessings that Job would curse Him to His face. Oh, but God knew differently. God knew what Job could endure and He knew that when tested that Job being blameless would rely on God’s faithfulness, rest in God’s grace, be mindful of God’s unfailing love, and trust the Lord. To be like Job means more than having great wealth or being restored it means being able to endure, rely, and trust God despite losing everything. No one willingly ask for adversity and truthfully most would prefer to avoid it at all cost. In the course of life, a believer may be face with such adversity that causes him to ask, Lord, You didn’t suggest that Satan consider me, did you? In the event, that God has remember Job who did not curse the name of God but instead Blessed God despite his pain.

Prayer:  Dear Lord, thank you for loving, protecting, and keeping us. Thank you for giving us the strength to stand in the midst of adversity and endure both physical and mental pain. Forgive us for faltering when situations get tough but thank you for reminding us that in our weakness You are made strong. Thank you for reminding us that Satan is on the prowl and that we should resist him and be strong in the faith knowing that we don’t suffer alone and that after we have suffered for a while that You will perfect, establish, strengthen and settle us. Lord, we praise You and Thank you for the strength that is provided by You in our weakness. Thank you for the examples of blameless men, Noah, Abram, and Job. But more than anything, thank you for Your Son, Jesus the Christ who is our greatest example being obedient even unto the cross. He died and rose so that those who believe in Him will have eternal life. In the matchless name of Jesus, I pray, Amen.

(by Patricia Towns)