Only when we stand in awe of God will we find it unnecessary to be in awe of Satan.- Erwin W. Lutzer

As I write this blog post, the world battles against what many call “the invisible enemy”. Although unseeable by the human eye, no one questions the reality of its existence. Across the globe, school closures, entertainment cancellations and business shutdowns redefine our sense of normalcy.

Like so many, I grapple with the why behind what we see unfolding before us. I haven’t found definitive answers to this question, but I did stumble across a source of peace.

Believers have always acknowledged the existence of evil in our world. Although we can’t see Satan, our enemy makes his presence known. I confess I rarely study Satan during my personal Bible study. When I do, I focus on how to protect myself from his temptations and schemes. 

But this week, I took a closer look at a few of the Biblical references of Satan and how he works. Ironically, this search brought me comfort.

The first reference occurs in Genesis 3. We know it simply as “the fall”. After He created Adam and Eve, God placed them in His paradise, the Garden of Eden. He specifically warned them against eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Disobedience would result in their death. 

Satan, taking the form of the serpent, tempted Eve by insisting the tree’s fruit would make her more like God. After eating the fruit, she gave some to Adam who also ate it. As warned, physical death for mankind did result from their sin. Adam and Eve learned the power of free will, as well as the very real consequences of disobeying God. 

God also warned Satan of the final outcome of his enmity with us.

And I will put enmity

    between you and the woman,

    and between your offspring and hers;

he will crush your head,

    and you will strike his heel.” (Genesis 3:15 NIV)

God describes Satan’s blow to us as a bruised heel. Although extremely painful, we can survive this injury. (I know this from personal experience.) By contrast, a crushed head represents a fatal blow. Jesus, through His sacrifice on the cross, will ultimately prevail against Satan. (John 12:31)

A second reference to Satan can be found in the book of Job. Satan targeted Job, a devout man who feared God. At first God gave Satan permission to attack Job’s possessions, but not his person. (Job 1:12). Evil men, a fire, and a wind storm immediately destroyed everything Job owned and killed all of his sons and daughters. When Job refused to curse God, Satan asked to inflict pain on Job himself. God granted permission, but forbade Satan from taking Job’s life. (Job 2:6). 

After Satan struck him with painful boils, Job wrestled with the same question facing us today: Why?

Most people in Job’s time believed evil only afflicted the disobedient. Through this experience, Job and his companions learned the truth Jesus gave us in His Sermon on the Mount:

He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. (Matthew 5:45b NIV)

Finally, as discussed in last week’s blog post, Satan asked to sift all of the disciples as wheat. (Luke 22:31) Prior to his denial of Jesus at the cross, Peter did not see his own weakness. Filled with deceitful pride, he believed he would willingly die for Jesus. Facing his own frailty forced Peter to rely on Jesus in ways he never had before. As a result, Jesus molded Peter into the man he longed to be. 

These passages reveal the following truths:

• God is sovereign over evil.
• God allows the influences of evil to lead us to His truth.
• God uses the forces of evil to perfect our characters.

Evil is scary. But I can be brave because I follow the One who reigns over evil.

As we step into the unknown path before us, I pray we can all bravely follow the One who is, and always will be, sovereign over evil.