March 15 ~ Job 2:1-5
One day when the angels came to report to God, Satan also showed up. God singled out Satan, saying, “And what have you been up to?” Satan answered God, “Oh, going here and there, checking things out.” Then God said to Satan, “Have you noticed my friend Job? There’s no one quite like him, is there—honest and true to his word, totally devoted to God and hating evil? He still has a firm grip on his integrity! You tried to trick me into destroying him, but it didn’t work.”
Satan answered, “A human would do anything to save his life. But what do you think would happen if you reached down and took away his health? He’d curse you to your face, that’s what.”
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
When I was teaching kindergarten, one of my five-year-olds fell out in the hallway as our “lunch line” of students snaked its way to the cafeteria one morning. A severe diabetic, this child’s sugar level plummeted, and she collapsed. I heard the loud clank of her metal lunchbox, looked back, and saw her limp body… and I knew she was in trouble. I rushed her to the nearby nurse’s station, and we called an ambulance. Several suggested we give her something to eat or drink, but I was afraid she would choke. Her mother had said, “If anything happens, call an ambulance.” So that’s what we did. I rode with the child to medical clinic where her pediatrician practiced… located across town. There, she was given saltine crackers and a Coke. The sugar level rose, and thankfully, all was well. After that, we began checking her urine each day before lunch to make sure her sugar levels were within acceptable range.
After this episode, my then-assistant principal drove to the clinic to retrieve me. We were both shaken by the incident, and as she drove away from the clinic, she said, “What do you need, besides a good stiff drink?” We both laughed. But for many, this… or a cigarette…a pint of rich delicious ice cream… an extravagant shopping spree…a wild, reckless drive in a motorized vehicle of some sort…or some other “balm” would be the answer. See, when the going gets tough, a lot of us fold up or surrender to temptation. We find solace in things like food, nicotine, alcohol, drugs, overspending, and irresponsible behaviors. After all, we deserve to be a little crazy for all of our trouble… right?
When trouble comes… when tragedy strikes… when “bad things happen to good people,” the devil takes great delight in the fact that a lot of us turn from God – or at least turn toward the things that displease Him. Unlike Job, we turn away from the God who has supplied all of our needs and claim that “we’re entitled to go a little crazy.” Integrity, schmegrity! It’s time for us to have a pity party and/or get a little wild! We’ve had a lot of hardship in our life… we deserve to shirk our responsibilities for a change. Things have not gone well for us in any way/shape/form… it’s time we spat on the world! And this is exactly what many of us do.
We blame our illness, our employer, our teachers and coaches – or our parents – our church our past disappointments, or our childhood for all of the things that have happened to us. And we essentially say to God…”You let these things happen to us, and we’re not going to tolerate it!” In truth, all we are doing is saying, “I’d rather dance with the devil than trust God to help me through whatever struggles and challenges I’m facing.” It’s not easy to “keep your cool.” And often, doing the right thing is the hardest choice in the world. But I believe many of us know what we choices we should make… we just choose poorly.
So my challenge to each of us today is to take courage… to stay faithful… and to kick the devil to the curb. No matter what comes your way, say, “I’m not budging. God will see me through. It may be messy – even ugly at times – but He will never desert me.” I promise, you cannot say the same for the devil… a stiff drink, that shopping spree, or even a pint of ice cream (although it may stick around a little longer than you’d like!). The one constant… the only sure thing… is God Almighty. Stick with Him…choose to keep your integrity and behave in a way that pleases God. Live with the confidence that He is in charge and will never give you more than you can handle. Tell the devil to “Bring it! I’m serving a God who is big enough to help me handle all that you’ve got!” Then claim this for yourself… take it to heart…and make it so.
Never give up – or in – to the devil. Stick with God, preserve your integrity, and steer clear of any potential for destruction.
©2013 Debbie Robus
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