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I saw a video recently of an elderly man talking at a supper table and leading a devotional thought. The gentleman was retelling how there was a conversation going on between The Lord and Satan where God asked Satan where he was coming from and Satan replied “from roaming through the earth and going back and forth (Job 1:7, NIV)”. God asks Satan if he had considered Job, to which Satan told God that He had him hedged in and that he (Satan/the Devil) couldn’t get to him (Job), but that if God would remove this hedge of protection that he (Satan/the Devil) would make Job curse God to His face. The man goes on to then say to his family: “Sometimes when it seems like all hell has broken loose in your life…maybe your name came up in a conversation.”

You might wish to go back and read that again. Grab your Bible, even, and read Job 1 and 2. See how Satan attacked Job on two different occasions. The first time the Devil came, he destroyed all Jobs’ animals, land, his servants and even his children. The second time he was allowed to torture Job with sores and boils and was allowed to do pretty much anything he wanted to Job except “you must spare his life (Job 2:6)”. Job lost pretty much everything. His animals…gone. His servants… dead. His children and the home they were in…destroyed. His body…painfully messed with.

“Maybe your name came up in a conversation.”

Jobs’ three best friends came and at first were a great help simply by being present; then they started talking and made his emotions even worse. Job’s wife straight up said “curse God and die (Job 2:9).” Those around him wanted to blame God or blame Job when all along it was the Devil. Satan is powerful! He is the “father of lies (John 8:44)”, and yet still today we blame God and each other when bad stuff happens.

We blame God for that sickness. We blame God for low funding. We blame God for stress and struggles. We blame God for deaths when they were still so young and so good. We blame God and each other for oh-so-much. Maybe…just maybe…your name came up in a conversation. Maybe God is allowing the Devil to show just how strong you and your faith are. Maybe you are in a test. Maybe you are being tried. And here is the beauty of this: God believes in you! He knows you can handle this. Don’t let Satan win. Trust God!

Rev. J. Cameron Bailey is pastor of Kenbridge Christian Church. He can be reached at jamescameronbailey@gmail.com.