NONE OF US are immune from disruptive events, for that is the true nature of the broken cosmos we inhabit. The disordering of our best plans for constructing a reality out of hopes and dreams is a given. There are too many variables in the equation called “life” for us to control. Eliphaz, one of Job’s well-meaning friends, observes: “Man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward.” (Job 5:7) But what are we to do when there is something beyond the day-to-day trial, when a chaotic crack in our personal universe permits evil to knock at the door of our sacred space?
Eliphaz’ counsel seems appropriate. “If I were you, I would appeal to God; I would lay my cause before him.” (Job 5:8) Job is the biblical archetypal figure of the person who struggles against chaos, who orders his life circumspectly (cf. Job 1:1-5), of whom even God says, “There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.” (Job 1:8b) And yet, in one of the great mysteries of God that perplexes us so, Satan is permitted to persecute Job. “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power.” (Job 1:12a) But we consider with great care God’s next words: “But on the man himself do not lay a finger.” (Job 1:12b)
And so Job’s life, from the perspective of everything he thinks he knows, experiences destruction. His family is lost, his herds and servants are lost, his great wealth is lost. Even more confusing for us as we try to comprehend the difference between not just good and evil, but also to distinguish between bad days and evil days, God permits Satan to afflict Job’s very person. God has defended Job, saying “He still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.” (Job 2:3c) But at Satan’s challenge, he responds, “Very well, then, he is in your hands.” (Job 2:6a) From our human perspective, we struggle to balance the concept of a good God with this shocking reversal of the favor of protection. Is God capricious? We may lean hard in that direction, unless we consider his next words. “But you must spare his life.” (Job 2:6b) Job’s trials were great, but in the midst of them he says, “I know my redeemer lives, and in my flesh I will see God. How my heart yearns within me!” (Job 19:25-27) Job ended well. Will ours?
There is an ancient battle being carried out from its inception in the heavenly realm. The spiritual contest between God and Satan began there, and is being carried out on the earth. It began for us in the Garden, and rumbles down the timeline of human history. The place of that battle is at the center of the human heart, and is for sovereign rule over that heart. It is as fresh, raw, and painful now for each of us as it was for Adam and Eve, and as it was for Job. The question for each of us remains the same: are we the person ‘who fears God and shuns evil?’ A proverb guides our thoughts in this regard. “Through fear of the LORD evil is avoided.” (Prov. 16:6b)
Our problem in side-stepping evil is limited not only by the Fall from Grace that disordered the cosmos, it is limited by our human perspective of the great battle between God and Satan. This is an issue that is beyond our scope in the midst of our everyday battles with trials and temptations. Unless. Unless, that is, there is some other way of dealing with evil when it comes to call. And there is such a way.
The Apostle Peter speaks of those, “Who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours.” (2 Pet. 1:1b) He encourages us to understand that this is a ‘today’ promise for us. “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life.” (2 Pet. 1:3a)
Too often, because we inhabit physical bodies in a physical world, we confuse our daily needs for food, shelter, and clothing with the reality of our spiritual need. We rely on external physical resources (yes, they are needed) for the deeper needs of our soul’s nourishment.
Peter counters this understanding with a foundational spiritual truth. He says that God “has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” (2 Pet. 1:4) In regards to God’s sure promises, Peter then brings us to our responsibility in the midst of ever-present spiritual warfare. “For this very reason, make every effort to add faith… knowledge… self-control… perseverance… godliness… and love.” (2 Pet. 1:5-6) He adds, then, a value beyond ignorant self-perception: “For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Pet. 1:8)
However it is that you and I work out our “salvation in fear and trembling” says the Apostle Paul, “it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” (Phil. 2:12b-13)
In our present trials and temptations, it is imperative to the health of our souls that our spirit be guided by God in these matters. Bad stuff happens. It just does. It is in how we manage the bad stuff that we learn to guard not just that which is good, but that which is best. No matter what we go through in life, it ends in physical death in this world, and at that point, no amount of worldly wealth can protect us from our assigned realm in the life to come. This is the distinguishing moment in the ages-old battle between God and Satan for the soul of man, for your soul and mine. When evil comes to call, and it will, our choice lies between being present with Satan or present with God.
Peter, nearing the end of his battle, says to each of us, “Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Pet. 1:10-11)
Q. Do I have the faith of Job, or faith in Jesus… or perhaps both?
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