“We know [positively] that we are of God, and the whole world [around us] is under the power of the evil one.”
Dear people of God, there is no easy way of dealing with tragedy – loss of a loved one, loss of a job, terminal illness, an accident, severe injury caused by a violent spouse, marital separation, etc.
Such incidents are always accompanied by pain and emotional trauma at times depending on the level of understanding of the person(s) affected.
So how does one deal with such issues?
First of all, let me make it clear that God is NOT the cause of tragedy. The story of Job in Job Chapter 1 of the Holy Bible is instructive here.
Yes, God PERMITTED the tragedy but Job CAUSED it. How, you ask? Look at Job’s statement in Job 3:25, “For the thing which I greatly fear comes upon me, and that of which I am afraid befalls me.”
You can see from Job’s statement that he was living in fear and fear opens the door for the devil to come in and gives the devil a LEGAL RIGHT to cause havoc in someone’s life.
The way to shut the devil out in this situation is by shutting out fear from one’s life.
What is clear from the preceding statement is that the devil is responsible for every tragedy that befalls a person.
This is seen even from today’s lead Holy Bible text as the world is under the devil’s control as a result of sin of disobedience to God’s Word at the beginning by Adam and Eve who lost their dominion to the devil.
Having recognized that the devil is the cause of tragedies, one should then trust in God to live through and overcome any tragedy.
The Word of God says how to do so in 1 Peter 5:7, “Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him (God), for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.”
Please take note that this instruction from God’s Word is a very, very difficult thing to do in the midst of a storm in one’s life BUT God would never tell us to do something that is impossible.
So every person that finds himself or herself in a tragic situation must ensure to do as God has instructed in His Word otherwise, again, the devil would take advantage of the person and cause more havoc.
This, again, is made clear from the very next verses in 1 Peter 5:8-9, “Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour.
9 Withstand him; be firm in faith [against his onset–rooted, established, strong, immovable, and determined], knowing that the same (identical) sufferings are appointed to your brotherhood (the whole body of Christians) throughout the world.”
Always remember that God cannot cause pain in your life and then proffer an advice in His Word on how to deal with it. It is the devil that causes pain while God loves and cares for you.
Trust in God, live right, know what His Word says, obey it and you would always know how to deal with and overcome tragedies in life.
Take note however, that there is a way to avoid tragedies, which you can see from the first part of today’s lead Bible text. The way to avoid tragedies is to avoid deliberately practising sin so that you don’t open the door and give the devil a LEGAL RIGHT to afflict you.
Let us see God’s Word in 1 John 5:18, “We know [absolutely] that anyone born of God does not [deliberately and knowingly] practise committing sin, but the One Who was begotten of God carefully watches over and protects him [Christ's divine presence within him preserves him against the evil], and the wicked one does not lay hold (get a grip) on him or touch [him].”
May the good Lord bless you as you heed His Word today, act on it and share with others in Jesus’ Most Loving Name, Amen.
Gabriel Ama.
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