God’s exaltation.
To exalt something/someone is; “to praise someone or something very much”—Oxford dictionary.
The sole purpose of every believer is to worship God through praise/exaltation and this was done by the great Prophets and Kings in the Old Testament. David once shouted, “Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together.”—Psalms 34:3. This intense praise of Yahweh is rewarded by greater exaltation from the most high; “And God will exalt you in due time, if you humble yourselves under his mighty hand”—1 Peter 5:6 .
God is proud of those who fear him:
Job 1:6 opens with a congregation in heaven, where the sons of God came to minister to God; along with them came Satan. The dialogue between God and Satan shows how he (Yahweh) is proud of those who choose him over evil:-
“So the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth, a pure and upright man, one who fears God and turns away from evil.”—Job 1:8.
God protects his chosen:
With God’s exaltation comes protection. The enemy roams around devouring, but he doesn’t have the opportunity to harm those chosen by Yahweh:-
“Satan replied to the Lord, “Yes, but Job has good reason to fear God. You have always put a wall of protection around him and his home and his property. You have made him prosper in everything he does. Look how rich he is!”—Job 1:9-10.
This scripture surely gives me goosebumps, seeing the enemy miserable because he has no opportunity to harm those chosen by God. You are among his chosen people, a remnant for Jehovah! Worry less, pray more; you are under God’s radar.
Therefore brethren, hold onto what you have (faith) and hope that the lord will come to your rescue….
After all the trials that Job went through:-
Losing his children, wealth, best friends, and amidst his deteriorating physical health, he just shouted this:
“I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth.”—Job 19:25.
Job’s exaltation of God, even on his deathbed was rewarded by a double blessing! But remember, God exalted him first….before we knew how to love, God loved us first.
Reflection:
I challenge you to reflect on your present and past scenarios where you would have praised/exalted God but anger, pride, or something else stopped you. Work on overcoming those barriers that stop you from realizing what God is doing, that noise that outsounds God’s instruction.
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”—John 16:33.