Scripture

Job 3:1-2, 25-26 NIV

After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. He said, “…What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me. I have no peace, no quietness; I have no rest, but only turmoil.”

Consider

The ancient patriarch Job, an “upright and blameless” servant of God, is brought to his knees when every worldly comfort is taken from him: his livelihood, his children, and finally his health. Miserable in his losses, humiliated and suffering acute physical pain, Job laments to his friends that the God of his devotion has abandoned him to his worst nightmares. This cleverly written story gives readers a peek at the truth that Job does not realize: He is a pawn in a great spiritual wager between God and the devil. Satan longs to prove that even the truest servant of God cannot hold onto his faith when fortune turns against him. Unable to attack God directly, Satan attacks him indirectly by assaulting God’s beloved child.

Job’s wily adversary knows his business. When Satan sets out to test Job’s faith, he goes straight for the jugular. He knows what Job fears, and he attacks him at his weakest point, a strategy as effective today as it was in Job’s time. Satan loves to attack us where we are weakest and most vulnerable. Often these attacks show up in our relationships because caring for others means lowering our defenses and opening ourselves to the possibility of being hurt.

In fact, our painful disagreements with others and discouraging standoffs may have more to do with hidden spiritual workings than with human personality clashes. Unlike Job, we have been warned of Satan’s motives and manipulations. When a relationship is going badly, we are wise to consider the possibility of Satan’s involvement and ask ourselves some questions:

• Have I been lied to, or am I lying to myself and others about this person or situation?
• Does anger or bitterness keep me from seeking God’s help?
• Am I convinced that God’s rule of love is too difficult to follow in this particular case?
• Have doubt and despair led me to question God’s love for me?
• Do I wonder how this situation could have gotten so out of control?
• Have I taken a stubborn stance against forgiving this person?

When we step away from the heat and listen for the Spirit’s counsel, we may hear truth that will expose the lies, misconceptions, and bad choices that keep the conflict going and make reconciliation seem impossible.

Pray

Loving Father, I bring before You a relationship that has been troubling me. Help me to identify subtle manipulations that perpetuate my misery—dishonesty, bias, faulty assumptions, or perhaps my own false pride and unwillingness to admit my role in the conflict. I ask you to break Satan’s grip on this relationship. Give me wisdom to discern what is true, and release my heart to the care and healing of your Spirit.

Reflect

John 8:44; 1 Peter 5:8-9

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How can I know when Satan has a grip on my relationship?