The Heavenly Narrative
Job 2:3-7 “And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause. And Satan answered the Lord, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face. And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life. So went Satan forth from the presence of the Lord, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.”
Few chapters of the lengthy book of Job are given over to telling the story of what is going on in Heaven and what God is thinking. But those chapters and those insights should be enough to guide us here on earth.
The rest of the book is about the struggles of men to explain the allowances of God and the acts of Satan. Those chapters are distinctly earthly, human, fleshly, and, as a result, difficult. The accounts with God and the responses of God are heavenly, Divine, Godly, and, as a result, make sense of Job’s struggle.
When we are in the midst of pain, earthly struggles, and human conflicts, let us be reminded that there is a heavenly narrative. There is another story that is taking place. Though unseen by us on earth, we can by faith see it, and it will help us through. God is on His throne. Satan is on a leash. Suffering is not forever. God will be glorified through it all. We just need to trust in the story that God is writing.