Rejoice Not

“Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD will be a light to me” Micah 7:8
If there is one thing the devil hates more than anything, it is Christians boldly living out the life God has called us to, working to advance His Kingdom on earth as in heaven. So when we are faithfully doing that we can expect the devil will try and derail us. He will send attacks our way. He will send doubts our way. He will bring disruptive influences into our meetings. He will try to stir up tension and dispute. The devil wants to stop our ministry and impact. He wants us to fall down.
Sometimes, because of his attacks, that happens. We fall down. And because the devil is not omnipotent (all-knowing) that makes him rejoice. He delights when it looks like he has silenced our witness by running a wrecking ball into our ministry. He would have rejoiced when Joseph got thrown into a pit and then into an Egyptian jail as a result of jealousy and lies. He would have rejoiced when Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt only to end up caught between the Red Sea and the Egyptian army. He would have rejoiced when David had to flee because of the envy of King Saul.
You see because the devil is not all-knowing, he doesn’t know how things will turn out. God on the other hand is all-knowing, and all-powerful, and all-present. He promises to work all things for our good when we follow Him (Romans 8:28). That means even the times when it looks like we have fallen. God promises to raise us up. He will have the last laugh, not the devil.
David survived to become the greatest king in the history of Israel. Through the power of God Moses split the Red Sea and the Israelites escaped through it. Joseph was freed from jail after interpreting some dreams and became the second most powerful man in Egypt, and was able to say towards the end of his life “you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive” Genesis 50:20.
When we are faithfully serving God but the devil has attacked us and knocked us to the ground we can have faith that God will work things for our good. He will raise us up. He will restore us. He will be a light, guiding us through this season of uncertainty. He will ensure the devil does not have the final say, and like He did for Joseph will turn what was meant as evil against us around for good so that more people may be saved and welcomed into the Kingdom.