You know how you can read a particular Bible passage for years, be blessed by it, get much from it, and then someone asks a question or brings an insight that you did sort of know on one level, but the way they put it opens up whole new vistas for you?

That happened yesterday in Sunday School. The overall topic was afflictions, and the teacher mentioned a few verses in Scripture that spoke of afflictions, reasons for them, etc. Then we spent most of the class period on Job. After reviewing a little bit about Job’s situation, and the discussion between Satan and God in Job 1 and 2, our teacher asked, “What was Satan’s goal in afflicting Job?” He wanted Job to curse God.

I knew that — but putting it like that made me think — when we are going through any kind of trial, do we think about this aspect of things? So often we just want relief, we want out. That’s normal — Job did, too. We don’t have any record that he had any idea of this conversation behind the scenes. But we have it — and we can seek God’s grace not only to get through any trial, but to uphold God’s honor.