His Glory in the Heavens – Carla Shipp

“There was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them.” There he was, the prince of darkness, doing his evil work and coming before God to accuse. No doubt part of his purpose in “going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it” was to “seek whom he may devour,” who he might accuse before God. Satan wants to slander the Lord, to prove Him an unworthy God. Perhaps he reasons that if can go before God with the failure of his creation, he will show himself to be greater than God. After all, that was what was in his own heart. Satan, Lucifer, was full of pride. He desired to steal God’s glory. He wanted to show himself greater and God a failure. What better way than to point out the failings of God’s creation, man himself?

God sees this and offers an example of a just and upright man, His servant Job. “Satan answered the Lord and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made a hedge about him, and about his house and all that he hath on every side?…But put forth thine hand now and touch all that he hath and he will curse thee to thy face.” Here he goes, accusing Job before God, seeking to rob glory from the Lord of Heaven.

God saw Job and knew His servant. He knew his heart and after all the tragedy that came upon His life it was said of Job, “In all this did not Job sin with his lips.” In the midst of the trial Job would make such incredible statements as, “I know my redeemer lives…in my flesh I shall see God,” and “though He slay me yet will I trust Him.” At the end of the tremendous trial and testing of Job’s life he confesses, “I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes.”  God would say of Job that he had spoken rightly of him and God would accept Job’s prayers.

What triumph before the witnesses of heaven! What glory given to God in this victory over the accusations against God and his servant Job! All principalities and powers in heaven and earth and under the earth, and all people on the earth would see and hear of the mighty power of the Lord God and His worthiness to be worshipped and praised.

But what I want to add to this is something the Lord brought to my heart of the glory He received throughout Job’s testing. Glory that wasn’t seen by Job or his wife, or his friends, or the people on the earth. This glory was visable to the heavenlies. It was seen by the enemy and I can see Satan grow with wicked excitement at each arrow thrown at Job only to cringe and groan at every triumph of the grace of God in Job’s life.

What the Lord began to bring to my heart was this thought: It is not only in the final victory over our trials that God is glorified. It is not only when people around us can see us come through and we can testify of God’s deliverance that He receives glory. But, when we are in agony, when we are in pain, when we despair, yet we look up to God in faith, we call upon His name, we cry out to Him and continue to trust, continue to hope, continue to believe, God is glorified! Even when we cannot share with others the depth of our pain, the hardship of our trials, but we continue to lay our all on the altar, heaven sees! There is a witness to our trusting and holding on! Every cry to God, every whisper for help, every praise in pain, brings defeat to the enemies efforts to cause us to curse God. I can see the cheering in the grandstands of heaven! What glory is given to the power, love, mercy and grace of Almighty God. His servant loves Him because He is worthy!!

Even when no one else may know what you go through. Even when no one else may see the moment by moment trial and your moment by moment victory, “seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” Know this, God is receiving glory in the heavens and Satan is defeated again and again and again!