Pt. 1
1 On another day the angels came to present
themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them to present himself
before him.
2 And the LORD said to Satan, “Where have you
come from?” Satan answered the LORD, “From roaming throughout the earth, going
back and forth on it.”
3 Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you
considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless
and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his
integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.”
4 “Skin for skin!” Satan replied. “A man will
give all he has for his own life.
5 But now stretch out your hand and strike his
flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face.”
6 The LORD said to Satan, “Very well, then, he
is in your hands; but you must spare his life.”
7 So Satan went out from the presence of the
LORD and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the
crown of his head.
8 Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and
scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes.
9 His wife said to him, “Are you still
maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!”
10 He replied, “You are talking like a foolish
woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” In all this, Job did
not sin in what he said. (Job Chapter 2, NIV)
Pt. 2
I was reading
Job Chapter 2 today, and the similarity of the content to what we are experiencing
today is simply compelling.
America, and indeed, the world has
been struck, and struck hard by a viral pandemic which threatens to rival every
pandemic in modern times; except, perhaps, the 1918 Spanish Influenza attack. (My
wife’s maternal grandfather died during that pandemic).
I think we can only guess why bad
things happen to good people; (and to be sure there will be many good people
who succumb to this virus). As believers, we have been informed that when our
ancient parents disobeyed God, and tasted the forbidden fruit, sin was
introduced into the spiritual dynamic, and mankind’s decision to, well, make
his own decisions, has resulted in death and disease and dissolution to all the
children of men.
There are some who teach that God is
presently in the process of judging the earth on account of the ungodly
elements present among us, (none of which I will name here) and that this
judgement will result in the Rapture of the Church, The Great Tribulation, The
Thousand Year Reign of Christ, and The New Heavens and The New Earth. I am
neither in a position to, nor do I wish to refute this perspective.
However, for any student of the
Bible, (or perhaps the most ardent agnostic) we cannot be help but acknowledge
and confess that God “allows” in our day and age, as surely as He allowed when
Job endured what he simply did not merit or deserve.
I think this latest pandemic finds
us all rather anxious and fearful. We are, without doubt, witnessing a season
in which God has, at least for the moment, removed His hand, and allowed a most
threatening and expansive pandemic to overwhelm the nations and people of this
planet.
Pt. 3
However, the God who allows also has
the wherewithal to disallow.
I think one passage of scripture, in
particular, applies to our present dilemma.
“If my people, who are called by my
name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their
wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and
will heal their land.” (2nd Chronicles 7:14)
It is not my purpose to debate
anyone about their personal shortcomings, nor the collective shortcomings of
this great nation, and the world. However, be that as it may, we have been
called to pray. And that old adage, “Just pray about it” is more than an adage.
The Creator has called us to pray for this nation and the world.
Another important passage of
scripture can be found in the obscure Book of Habakkuk.
“For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of
the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will
certainly come and will not delay.” (Habakkuk 2:3)
“It will certainly come and will not
delay.”
Or in what has been referred to as
the greatest promise of all time…
“And it came to pass.”
What we are enduring now will come
to pass. The God who allows is also perfectly capable of disallowing.
Stay encouraged, my friends. That which
we are currently experiencing will surely come to pass. God give us the grace
to patiently endure that which has come upon us.
by William McDonald, PhD. Copyright pending
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