Comfort from our all-powerful God

Am I being attacked by Satan when I suffer? The evil of suffering becomes horrifically frightening when we wonder if God is powerful over evil and Satan. Let’s battle Satan’s lies together!

Because our enemy wants us to think he’s as powerful as God.

Let’s find great comfort from our all-powerful God in His Word, as we “hail the power of Jesus’ name”…and no one else!

Our God is all-powerful, over ALL

Thus says the LORD: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool” (Is. 66:1 ESV).

Whatever is under the whole heaven is mine (Job 41:11 ESV).

Let every tongue and every tribe
responsive to his call,
to him all majesty ascribe,
and crown him Lord of all.
To him all majesty ascribe,
and crown him Lord of all!

(“All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name,” Perronet, E., 1780)

Our all-powerful God over Satan!

My suffering this year has felt Job-like, affecting my entire family, my health, our daily needs, while holding grief in much loss.

You too?

What a loving Father to open a tiny window into His throne room, to encourage us with what was happening in Job’s layers of suffering. Job was a “blameless and upright” believer, “one who feared God and turned away from evil” (Job 1:1). No human is sinless; we’re all born sinners, but God had given faith to Job, and Job sought to live out that faith. Satan approached God, accusing Job of having faith in God’s earthly blessings instead of God Himself. But our loving Father knew Job’s faith was real and could endure this tempting attack.

And the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, all that [Job] has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand” (Job 1:12 ESV). 

And the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, [Job] is in your hand; only spare his life” (Job 2:6 ESV). 

Before Satan could inflict Job, he had to ask God Almighty for permission. Satan had to obey God because God set tight boundaries. This means Satan is not God’s equal; he’s simply one of God’s created beings who fell. Nothing has changed today…

except for one power-full event in God’s grand love story!

Our all-powerful Jesus over Satan!

He commands even winds and water, and they obey him (Lk. 8:25 ESV).

He commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man (Lk. 8:29 ESV).

All hail the power of Jesus’ name!
Let angels prostrate fall.
Bring forth the royal diadem,
and crown him Lord of all.
Bring forth the royal diadem,
and crown him Lord of all!

[Jesus] is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high (Heb. 1:3 ESV, emphasis added).

Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Phil. 2:9-11 ESV, emphasis added).

O seed of Israel’s chosen race
now ransomed from the fall,
hail him who saves you by his grace,
and crown him Lord of all.
Hail him who saves you by his grace,
and crown him Lord of all!

Praising God, whose purposed gospel plan of love is unfolding right now

God’s purposed gospel plan of love is unfolding, in my life and yours.

He promised a son would crush the head of Satan who had deceived Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:15), bringing sin into the world and every human being (Rom. 3:10-12, 23). But the promised Son, Jesus Christ, fully drank the entire cup of judgment we all deserve as sinners before a perfectly holy God (1 Jn. 2:2). Jesus rose victorious over our sin and death, and He is right now, today, reigning at the right hand of God! He has powerfully crushed the head of Satan (Col. 2:13-15)! And, one glorious day, He will remove Satan permanently (Rev. 20:10).

So, we all suffer in this fallen world…but as His beloved believers who are unified with Christ? 

We’re unified with Jesus Christ’s already-won battle over Satan at the cross, until the very end of the war, through His purposed plan of love.

God’s power over Satan is our reality, in Christ!

Hallelujah!

For, if we’re true believers in Christ who’ve repented and trusted in Christ for salvation, our names were…

written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain (Rev. 13:8 ESV).

Standing firm with our all-powerful God!

What a comfort! As we suffer in earthly tribulations like Job, let’s stand firm, resisting Satan’s tempting attacks by humbly trusting in our Lord (Eph. 6:11; Jas. 4:7), who gives…

the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ (Eph. 1:19 ESV).

He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world (1 Jn. 4:4 ESV, emphasis added).

Oh, that with all the sacred throng
we at his feet may fall!
We’ll join the everlasting song
and crown him Lord of all.
We’ll join the everlasting song
and crown him Lord of all.

Material adapted from Singing the Gospel to Job: Finding Hope in Suffering, Lauri A. Hogle, © 2022

Resources for Singing Christ’s Hope Into Your Suffering

This week’s playlist gift praises our reigning King Jesus, the Lord of lords! For He is our all-powerful Lord over Satan, evil, sin, and death! The songs echo and sing Scripture, reminding us of who He is, offering us powerful hope to keep going. Sister in Christ, when we suffer like Job, we need to battle the tempting lies too. Let’s crown Jesus Lord of all, remembering that it’s in the “power of the gospel for salvation” that we will victoriously endure any earthly suffering with strengthened faith, as Job did. What a gift of God’s grace and comfort! I’m fighting the accuser’s lies along with you, especially on the overwhelming days. Praying that these resources will “courage into” you as He’s “couraged-into” me!