Was Job the only one?

If you have read the Old Testament in the Holy Bible, you will have read the story of Job and the rough time he encountered in his life.  As a synopsis, Job is believed to be the oldest book of the Bible.  It recounts the story of a time when God was on His throne and appearing before Him was Satan.  God asked him where he had been and Satan stated he was roaming the earth.  God asked him if he had come across Job.  Satan then started accusing God of protecting him, so God gave permission to first take all he owned, and then to take his health.

But many have wondered if Job was the only one that this sort of thing ever happened to, that being God giving permission to Satan to do certain things to that person.  If you look in the New Testament, in Luke 22: 31-32 “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat.  But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”  So, just like Job, Satan asked (in fact the Greek here could also be rendered demanded instead of asked) to mess with a person.  From the context, he asked to mess with all of the disciples, not just Peter.   Interesting isn't it?

So again, the question can be asked, were Job and the disciples (Peter in particular) the only people Satan has asked to sift like wheat, o mess with, or make life miserable for them?  Since there are more than 1 example, I would say that no, they were NOT the only ones that God gave permission to Satan to do what he wanted (but I do believe as in Jobs case, there are limits placed on what Satan can and cannot do).  For both Job and Peter, it all turned to for the greater good of not just these two men, but for those around them they came in contact with. 

So a few questions must be asked here. 

1) Does this mean that EVERY bad thing is at the request of Satan?  I don't think so.  Sometimes its a direct result of our or others poor choices.  Sometimes, it is just the results of sin operating on our world. And sometimes it's because of the natural course of things.

2) Does Satan only ask to do this to individuals?   I would say no since in the Luke example, the Greek for you in 'sift you like wheat' is plural, meaning the disciples.  So from inference, why not an entire neighborhood, or church, or city or even a nation? 

3) For what purpose does God allow this?  In the stories of Job and Peter, it is clear that the reason is to not only strengthen the person, but others as well.  Jesus tells Peter that when he (Peter) comes back again, that he strengthen his brothers, meaning those around him.  In Jobs case, his friends learned more about how God works and where also strengthened in their faith.  And, everyone that Job and Peter came in contact with benefited from this rough times, and we are still benefiting today.

4) What is a test for?  I would call what Job and Peter experienced a test.  Just like when we have a test in school, the results of the test are usually not a surprise to the teacher.  When I was a teacher and gave a test, I  could pretty much predict the outcome of the test, meaning I could make an educated guess on what each student would receive for a grade due to past history and how well each student does or does not take a test.  The test, therefore, was more for the student to discover what they still need to work on and what they do well on.  It is the same way with a spiritual test.  God already knows each of us better than we know ourselves and He knows what the outcome will be.  He is never surprised (unlike earthly teachers who CAN be surprised at the results, I know I was now and then).  Often times we are surprised when we come through a trial or test at how well we did and even how badly we did.  If we are careful and observant, we can learn just as much or more from a test than from everyday life lessons.  Another lesson we can learn from tests is how much we do or don't rely on God to help us through.

We may never know if the difficulties we face are a result of Satan asking to sift us, like he did with Job and Peter, of if it is just life.  But the good news is, we can learn from them and bring greater honor and glory to God as a result of our tough times.  We have the choice to do that, or we can refuse the lesson and grow bitter and angry with God and/or others.  But if we allow God to do as He sees best for us, we can learn great lessons that can impact many others and help others from falling into some of the same pitfalls we have.

As I close, I would like to say a prayer for those that are going through rough times and wondering the purpose and if they have done something to cause their situation. 

Father, I ask that all those who are in a tough situation, whether it be a short term or long term situation, that You would help to see You in the midst of their difficulty.  I ask that You would also help them to learn what it is that they can take with them to bring greater glory and honor to Your Name and can offer comfort later on to others that may be going through their own tough times.  I know that we will all go through tough times, no matter how strong or weak we are and no matter where we live.  I ask that You would help all of us to view tough times as a way of growing personally, emotionally, spiritually, and every other way that we need to because of the situations we encounter.  I thank You that You will never leave us alone in the middle of our tough times, and that You will always use it to further Your Kingdom and Your purposes.  In Jesus name, AMEN!