It is not denial...
Whenever I hear the words "Satan" or "The Devil" leading into a personal narrative in a conversation, I automatically tune out the person speaking and think of them as naive or foolishly lost in religion. I have this reaction because, in the back of my mind, I can usually explain the same incident in logical everyday terms that do not require the existence of such a being in order for it to happen. I suspect this is more common in people than they would like to admit, and I think I understand why we do it.
Satan, or the Devil if you prefer, is something on which the world capitalizes (think sensationalism in the news) and desensitizes us to daily through negative stories and personal injustices. We are taught that people sometimes "do bad things." We see countries "make hard choices to attack or kill for what they say is to protect the greater good." We watch as horrors befall others by the thousands and categorize it as an "act of nature".
I have had no relationship with the angel called Satan, no conscious feeling of him being in a room or place where I go, so why should I believe he has the ability to affect me negatively?
None of the news crews dare suggest their stories to be the work of a higher power than man. That would be unthinkable, when there is a perfectly logical explanation to be made. If they were to place the blame on "Evil" (a concept synonymous across the major religions of the world) viewers would cease watching their show. These shows want us to believe these things are the work of human nature, mythical nature, global warming, etc; anything but divine intervention.
Before you label me as completely agnostic, let me express that "on the flip side" I have been Graced with a presence of God/Christ/Holy Spirit (take your pick) that cannot be explained any other way than a divine presence. There is no logic or explanation that makes sense, and I know it to be His way of getting my attention. Some call this "having a relationship with God."
A relationship is not something one can understand how to maintain without having an experience that cements it as lasting. Belief in the other only goes so far without results. Those results do not have to be personal, as long as they are recognized and accepted as proof of the relationship. (Some call this Testimony, Fate, etc) Once the relationship is accepted, however, this becomes a means to have hope when there appears to be none. I am not "just" talking about a relationship with God, either.
So that was my perspective when a cousin was over with his family to visit Isaac. In our discussion, he paraphrased a story to us to explain the divine nature of the accident. His first words included "Satan", and I started to politely tune him out. (No offense Mark) As he began to explain it further I sensed that familiar, incredible feeling when I know that "God's presence is here" and my tune out quickly turned to "zero in" on the story.
(My paraphrasing of both Job and the way Mark told it)
Jackie stated that she had received a comment to her worrying that made her laugh, but also made her understand more about the situation. It was something like, "You worry about Isaac and whether he will be ok. You pace around, stressing yourself. Do you think God is up in Heaven talking to himself about it?"
She said she got this mental image of God pacing and talking to himself saying, "I just don't know what happened. Why did this have to happen to Isaac?"
This made her laugh at the ludicrous image, then realize He MUST be in control. This was calming.
Mark started....
Did you know that Satan has to ASK God to do things to us? Remember Job? Satan had to ask three times to do things to him.
The first time God said, "ok, but he will still have faith in me."
The second time Satan asked God said, "ok, but he will still have faith in me."
The third time Satan asked if he could kill Job.
God said, "you can do anything but kill him."
This leads me to the fact that God knew what was going to happen to Isaac, and he made sure (just read the divine reasons at the bottom of "How we got here") that things and people were in the right place to keep Satan from going too far.
From a larger perspective. I had to be home from (travel) consulting for almost four years, without wanting to go out and start traveling again. Jesse had to be denied his place at the Merchant Marine Academy. We all had to be home that night, with no real distractions. I had to have the training to snap into survival mode.
If God can arrange for people to be in the right place at the right time, that far in advance, isn't it possible that He is capable of putting us wherever He wants us to be at the right time to make a change? I'm not saying He pulls the strings on our daily life, or that we have no will whatsoever, but we will experience what He has in store for us and He knows how we think (or will think). He can put things in the right place for us to move along the path to His purpose.
So, you sit somewhere right now reading this, and you wonder if God is looking over your shoulder, or if He cares about someone other than those who have stories to tell. The answer is "Yes".
You can be wondering whether your job, your marriage, your family can withstand the trials it/you/they are now going through. The answer is "Yes".
You can wonder how you are supposed to survive your current situation, or "what if" something happens in the future. The answer is written all over the Holy Books, no matter which ones you prefer.
The answer is "love". Love yourself for who you are. Love one another as God loves you. Overlook pettiness and strife, and just love those whom you care for. That will get you and your family through anything. Feel God's love for you, and let that Love flow through you in your actions to all.
He did not say to forget common sense, nor put yourself in harms way intentionally, nor forget to use your experiences to guide you. He said to let God love you, feel his Love caress you and take away your worries FIRST. Then show the world that Love is the way to live, and teach those close to you how to rid themselves of their strife as well.
Feeling God's love lets us know that we are perfect in who we are.
Feeling Love overcomes the desire to be negative to daily stupidity.
Feeling Love overcomes the pressures that cause us to be tired at the end of the day.
Sharing Love as a family ignites our senses, and fills us with renewed energy.
Enjoy the rest of your day!
