Dealing with Adversity: Can you accept it?

by | Feb 23, 2011 | Names of God | 1 comment

Today I was continuing my study on the name El Elyon {God Most High} and had an ah-ha moment. Actually, it was more a slap-in-the-face moment. The reading for today included two passages from Job, Job 1:6-12 & Job 2:1-10.  These two passages reveal the conversations Satan had with God in which Satan asked permission to test Job.  Here is the 2nd passage found in Job 2.

 1     Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord.
     2     The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.”
     3     The Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man fearing God and turning away from evil. And he still holds fast his integrity, although you incited Me against him to ruin him without cause.”
     4     Satan answered the Lord and said, “Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life.
     5     “However, put forth Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh; he will curse You to Your face.”
     6     So the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your power, only spare his life.”
     7     Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.
     8     And he took a potsherd to scrape himself while he was sitting among the ashes.
     9     Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die!”
     10     But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips. 
New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995, S. Job 2:1-10
 

Wow!

Can you believe that this isn't just a story in a book? This really happened!  I have read this passage many times in my life, but this time was different.  Verse 10 was a great wake-up call.  How would you answer the question, “Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?”

What a great question!  God's timing of my reading this question came on the day that we learned that our newborn will have to have surgery to remove her right kidney because it isn't functioning.  I love God's timing.  I could have spent this day wallowing and worrying about this surgery. But instead, God in His great mercy allowed me to read this passage today and reminded me that He truly is the sovereign God. God Most High.  Baby Bear {as I like to call her} doesn't have a defective kidney, she has an opportunity to reveal the goodness of God to others.  It isn't an accident that her kidney doesn't function properly, God knew this when He knit her together in my womb. {Psalm 139}  He wasn't surprised when the first ultrasound revealed this issue.  He wasn't sitting on His throne thinking, “Oops, sorry about that one!”  He knows exactly why He chose this little girl to have this kidney.

Job's question is extremely counter-culture.  I read a tweet yesterday from @bryant46 that said “The problem with proclaiming the prosperity gospel is that people who believe it are often unable to respond when bad things happen to them.”  This passage demonstrates that so clearly.  Job's wife couldn't deal with the pain and suffering Job was enduring.  She wanted her husband to “Curse God and die!”  But Job had a better understanding of God's character. 

What about you?  What do you know about God's character? What do you believe about God?  How do you live out that belief in your life? 

Do you believe that we should only accept the good from God and despise the adversity?  Or are you able to accept both?

When you face adversity how do you respond?  Do you respond?  With a pity party?  Rejecting God? Or do you, like Job respond with integrity?

These are all tough questions, but I challenge you today to answer them honestly before God our Father.  He is El Elyon, God Most High, our sovereign God.

1 Comment

  1. speakinginfaith
    speakinginfaith on February 17, 2015 at 7:22 am

    Reblogged this on Speaking in Faith Blog and commented:

    Tomorrow is Bible study day! Woohoo! Just a reminder that we are doing chapters 3 & 4.

    As I am wrapping up homework and our lesson, I must tell you that I cannot wait to discuss these two chapters with you. I don’t know what life situations you are going through, but for me the names El Elyon: God Most High & El Roi: the God Who Sees are names that bring me comfort.

    If your are following along with us via the blog, please check back tomorrow for notes from class! Until then, dig into God’s Word. Here is a blog post from 2011 about God being El Elyon in my life at that time.

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