Sometimes attacks can come from all sides, so it seems that the heaven is closed over our heads. It happened to Job, and he began to lose his possessions, his children, his health and even the trust of some of his friends. My brother, my sister, how do you behave when things become so oppressive, so hard and look hopeless to you? As Christians, we know what the Word says, but how many keep their faith in God in these moments and remain faithful to Him as Job did? How many despair somehow without ever daring to admit it to ourselves or others?
The other day, I told someone, if you don’t want to go through any difficulty on earth, the only thing to do is to ask God to call you back. Life on earth is a battlefield because Satan is “going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it” (Job 1:6-12). My friend, as Satan roams around the earth, seeing God using you, making you smile, prosper and move freely around the earth… do you think that the jealousy that caused his exclusion from heaven will not revive more hatred in him against you? The Bible clearly tells us that he is our enemy, and that he is on earth to do three things: only to steal and kill and destroy (John 10:10).
Now all this is known by heart by most believers. But how do you behave when you are attacked from all sides (health, money, family, work, etc…?). Today’s passage is so sad to read. Once attacked, watch what God’s people did: some found refuge on rooftops to hide (verse 1), some were killed by famine and disease (verse 2), their leaders fled and surrendered without resistance (verse 3)… It’s so sad that we can understand the anger of God in front of such cowardice since He has given a spirit of courage to His people. Are we different? Yes, it is sad because what the Word tells us here is that God’s people will always be attacked and yet defeated unless they turn to God because every attempt to defend or protect themselves that excludes God or His Word cannot stand before Satan’s attacks: our ingenuity, our weapons of mass destruction, our pagan practices… none of these scares Satan. Also, the more you try to get out of it without Jesus at the center of your fight, the more hope will turn into despair and self-pity. Sometimes, as the Bible says here, people try to drown their problems feasting or drinking (verses 13-14), as if there was no tomorrow while the main root of their problem is that they do not trust the power of God and His promises of restoration. Certainly Job suffered… but God restores him when the right time came (Job 42:10). Yes, your response to attacks can determine the time of their end too, depending on where your eyes are set: on earth or on Christ whose blood made the earth tremble. Stay blessed in Jesus’ name.