Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? Job 1:10a
The story of Job is often used to illustrate the point that God’s people are not immune from trials and tribulations that afflict the rest of humanity.
However, it is noteworthy that out of all the reports Job received about the terrible things that had happened to him and his household, none mentioned the devil’s involvement. Why? Because those who brought the reports only witnessed the physical manifestations of things that were happening in the spiritual realm.
Similarly, when we go through challenges, the obvious explanations are based on things that exist in the physical realm. But as the Bible makes clear in Ephesians 6:12 “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of [a]the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places,” we cannot disregard the spiritual dimension of the challenges we face because as the story of Job shows, the spiritual captures and explains the full picture of whatever is happening.
The telling example of Job highlights the importance of seeking God’s face when we go through challenges. Many times, what we see the human manifestations – setbacks, failures, endless challenges has the devil behind the scenes wrecking havoc and sometimes we are none the wiser. The danger in such situations is that we might fall for the devil’s misdirection and other tactics while addressing only the physical dimension of things.
Another common temptation in such situations is to believe that God has abandoned us. We may feel this way because of improper understanding of the ways of God, including the popular misconception that God’s people don’t go through challenges.
However, while the Bible teaches us as God’s people to expect many challenges, it also assures us of the His love for us and His power to deliver us (Psalm 34:19). Some of the challenges may linger and we may experience whole seasons of difficulty as Job did, but again God will allow such discomfiture ‘that you may be perfect and complete’ (James 1:2-4).
Be encouraged by the knowledge of God’s faithfulness as seen in the story of Job and elsewhere in the Bible, and of course in your own life.
Remember that you serve a loving God who keeps His promises.
BY: Pastor Wale Afelumo
