“‘Does Job fear God for nothing?’ Satan replied. ‘Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.’ The Lord said to Satan, ‘Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.'” Job 1:9-12
The Devil is constantly looking for people he can tempt to blame God for their circumstances. But the Lord is constantly ahead of the devil, giving His unique grace to every Christian facing unique problems.
It’s as if the Devil says to God, “Look, if a woman lost her mother, her husband got fired, her house got robbed, all in the span of one week, I bet such a person would curse you.” Then God would say, “You’re wrong, Devil. Mrs. Brown went through that very set of circumstances and she trusted me. The victory is hers and the glory is mine.”
Then the Devil, slightly miffed, would drum up another scenario. “Okay,” the Devil argues, “let me get my hands on a young missionary. You give me permission to slap him with a strange illness. At the same time, take away his financial support. Surely, such a man would curse you, God.” Then God would say, “Wrong again. Mr. Smith went through that very thing, and a few more problems at that. He gained victory by my grace. The glory is mine.”
You could be sitting by the bedside of a dying loved one. In a courtroom answering unjust charges. Sweeping up glass on your kitchen floor. Whatever the circumstances, they are yours, and they are unique. How will you respond? And to whom will you give the glory?
The circumstances may be mine, but the glory is Yours, O Lord.
