“The LORD said to Satan, ‘From where have you come?’ Satan answered the LORD and said, ‘From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.’” (Job 1:7 ESV).
This heavenly scene introduces us to Satan, whose very name means “Accuser.” When summoned before the Lord, he must give an account. God’s question is not for His own knowledge, but to expose Satan’s activity before the heavenly court. Satan replies that he has been roaming restlessly throughout the earth. This description points to his fallen condition—banished from heaven, yet permitted still to approach God’s throne to accuse His people. Unlike God’s angelic servants who are “sent to patrol the earth” (Zech. 1:10–11), Satan wanders with malicious intent, seeking opportunity to attack those whom God loves. The apostle Peter later warns that our “adversary the devil prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Pet. 5:8). Yet, Satan is not God’s equal. He must appear when called, speak when questioned, and act only within the boundaries God allows.
This passage reminds us that we have a real spiritual adversary who never rests in his desire to harm us. Yet it also teaches that Satan is under God’s sovereign control. He is not free to do as he pleases. That means every trial we face has been filtered through the loving hands of our heavenly Father. Like Job, we may not always understand the reasons for our suffering, but we can be confident that Satan cannot touch us apart from God’s permission. Therefore, we must stay alert, putting on the full armor of God, and resist the devil in faith. At the same time, we can rest in knowing that our Father holds us secure.
PRAYER: Dear Father, we thank You that even though our enemy prowls about seeking to devour, he is still subject to Your authority. Help us to remain sober and vigilant, yet trusting in Your sovereign care. Keep us in the center of Your will, focusing our eyes on You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.