Friday after Oculi, 3/23/01

Job 1:12 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." --NIV

In the name of the One Who limits the power of Satan, amen.

The devil is real, and there is a lot of attention on him lately. There are people who dedicate their lives to his service. There is also a tendency for us to be afraid of him. In a certain sense we should be afraid of him. At least we should realize that he is far more powerful and wise than we are. We should never think that we can outsmart him, and we should not hang around him and his people thinking that we won't get hurt.

On the other hand, God remains in control of all things. Even when God allowed Job to be tested in his faith, God didn't give Satan free reign. Instead He placed limits on what he would allow Satan to do. Satan is not all-powerful. He is limited in what he can and cannot do. He is not in all places at once, and he doesn't know everything. He is a created being with all the limitations that implies. In the end it comes down to this: "If God be for us, who can be against us?" Amen.

Prayer: Lord God our heavenly Father, in Your great wisdom You allowed Your servant Job to be tested and to bring glory to Your name. Yet You kept Satan from taking His life, and later You gave Job more than he had before he was tested. We do not dare to compare ourselves with Your servant Job. We are not as righteous and strong in our faith. But we ask that You bring glory to Your name through us. Keep us in the true faith by Your Holy Spirit, and help us to avoid associating with Satan and his followers. Finally, thank You for limiting Satan's Power so that we do not have to fear him. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

copyright 2001 Reformation Lutheran Church http://ReformationChurch.org __________________________________________