Friend, did you know the trust you show God drives Satan up a wall?
Isn’t that the truth! Hi, I'm Joni Eareckson Tada! Satan sure loves to taunt God, doesn’t he? He’ll look at you and he’ll say to God, "She doesn't love you, she just loves the way you bless her. You're not great enough, God, to get someone to follow you on your own merits." Well, that may be the devil’s ploy, but we won’t let him get away with it, will we, especially when we’re going through suffering. If you’re like me, you want your life to show that God is worth following on His own merit. So count me in with Job; when the going gets tough, I say, "Though he slay me, yet will I put my trust in him."
Now here’s the thing: Nothing, I mean nothing, deflates the devil more than when God's people choose the Lord over their fear and doubts and complaining. When they choose Jesus over grumbling about affliction – when through tears you whispered, “Oh, Lord, despite this hard trial I’m going to prefer you; Lord God I’m not going to fear or doubt, I choose you; I yield to you, I bow to you.” Like I said, that really drives Satan up a wall.
And you know what? This makes the life of the most insignificant person a battlefield on which the mightiest forces of the universe converge in warfare – you and I, no matter how small we seem in God's kingdom, we, we get to make God famous! We get to make Him out to be as good as He really is! It elevates the status of the lowliest Christian on earth onto a cosmic field of warfare where the stakes are about as high as you can get!
I saw this played out in the life of Didina, a Romanian gypsy who, until recently, lived 30 years in her back bedroom (think about that). No one in that gypsy village in Romania had seen Didina in years. A series of strokes disabled her when she was 22 years old, and so for three long decades Didina lived her life in bed – consider that! When our Wheels for the World team entered her village, a crowd gathered. Then when a couple of team members went into Didina’s house with a wheelchair, people who had gathered around were so amazed. They had heard about this woman with a stroke who hadn’t been seen in ages and now, these Americans were going to go help her? An hour later, our physical therapist wheeled Didina outside in her new wheelchair, an adult-sized recliner chair. And Didina looked up into the sky and felt the sun on her face. She started crying and said in broken English, “Oh, thanks to God for letting me see the sky.” Oh friend, she didn’t say: “I'm mad at you, God, for leaving me paralyzed in bed.” No, she said, “Thank you God for letting me see the sky.”
To me that’s so amazing. Didina’s words sent the devil high tailing. Because the world would understand if she had said, “I'm angry at you, Lord, for leaving me abandoned for three decades in bed.” But instead, Didina echoed the words of Job, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.” And with that, the status of a lowly poor gypsy woman with a disability was lifted onto a cosmic field of warfare upon which she gained a huge victory for Jesus Christ, teaching the unseen world that God really is worth trusting. We were able to capture on film that moment Didina was wheeled out into the sun and today I posted this unbelievable video on my radio page at joniandfriends.org. It really is quite something to see, so when we’re done here, please visit us online at joniandfriends.org. Be encouraged that every time you say “No” to complaining and “Yes” to trusting God, you’re in a club with Didina. You are in a club with a stalwart saint.
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