Satan replied, “Would Job worship you if he got nothing out of it? You have always protected him and his family and everything he owns. You bless everything he does, and you have given him enough cattle to fill the whole country…”
You have likewise protected and provided for me all these many years, Father (Psalm 23:1). Thank you.
“…But now suppose you take away everything he has—he will curse you to your face!”
Here the Satan paradigm: “Job is a dog. Feed the dog and he’ll follow you; stop feeding the dog, and he’ll follow someone else.” He says that about Job, about you, about me, about himself – even God.
“All right,” the Lord said to Satan, “everything he has is in your power, but you must not hurt Job himself.” So Satan left.
Here The Game! Whose paradigm is true / is to endure. This forms the backdrop of The Matrix. As for us, our life and future are in your hands, Lord. As for me, I put my trust in you (Psalm 91:1-2).
One day when Job’s children were having a feast at the home of their oldest brother, a messenger came running to Job. “We were plowing the fields with the oxen… Suddenly the Sabeans attacked and stole them all. They killed every one of your servants except me. I am the only one who escaped to tell you.”
Before he had finished speaking, another servant came and said, “Lightning struck the sheep and the shepherds and killed them all. I am the only one who escaped to tell you.”
Before he had finished speaking, another servant came and said, “Three bands of Chaldean raiders attacked us, took away the camels, and killed all your servants except me. I am the only one who escaped to tell you.”
Before he had finished speaking, another servant came and said, “Your children were having a feast at the home of your oldest son, when a storm swept in from the desert. It blew the house down and killed them all. I am the only one who escaped to tell you.”
This coordinated attack was delivered to create the maximum effect – the maximum amount of distress. We so often look at circumstances that align and say, “This is God at work”, but we would be mistaken. All of these celestial beings have the power to bring about these circumstances. With you, Father, it’s different: you don’t leave fingerprints (Joshua 22:30-31).