ALPHA MAAMA (A.M.)

 TUSITE ME 26, 2026

SIOPE 1-3; SENESI 22:1-14

There is but one God, who is without an equal and rules over all.

‘Oku taha mātē pe ‘a e ‘Otua, ‘oku ‘ikai ha no tatau pea ‘oku ne pule fakaleveleva.

My friend had endured a tough life. From childhood her life had been marked by disappointment, difficulty, and suffering. Her closest loved ones had failed her, and she was a disappointment to herself. Her marriage was marred by hurt and distrust. When I sat with her and her husband, I observed little warmth between them; in fact, it seemed as though they really didn't like each other very much. Their marriage was more of an attempt at civility than a story of love. She wanted to talk to me because she was severely depressed, to the point of being almost paralyzed spiritually, emotionally, and relationally. Her depression was not just the result of the physical and relational woes she had suffered. No, she was haunted by something much deeper, which made her world seem inescapably dark and dangerous. She was haunted by a particular question: Can the one who sits on the throne of the universe be trusted? You could argue that no question is more theologically profound or morally practical than this. Where the rubber meets the road in daily life, can I trust God? My friend's answer was, "I just don't know."

As I talked with her week after week, I realized she couldn't answer the question with a hardy yes because her theology was defective. She described the world as being inhabited by two awesome and powerful deities (although she never used that word). The good deity is named Jehovah and the bad deity is named Satan, and they battle for control of the universe. If this were true, then of course you couldn't be sure that God could deliver what he planned and promised. But in the very beginning of the book of Job, God rescues us from this false view of the power and authority of Satan.

Job was a rich and God-fearing man. So Satan came to God and essentially said, "Look, the only reason this guy fears and serves you is because he has everything. But if you allow me to remove it all from him, he will forsake you." It is incredible that we are invited to eavesdrop on this conversation. And one of the reasons it has been recorded and preserved for us is so that we can be sure that Satan is not, and never has been, God's equal. In order to trouble Job, Satan has to go to God for permission, because God alone is the ruler of the universe (see Job 1:6-12).

Even in this fallen world, we can rest assured that God can be trusted, because he rules with absolute authority over every situation, location, and relationship in order to execute his plan and deliver on his promises. He has no equal. The throne is his, unchallenged. And for every believer everywhere, that is the best news.