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How could God allow evil to bring destruction and loss in our lives? Why doesn't he protect us from the perpetrators of wicked and evil acts? Our hearts ache, our questions churn. And yet, we've seen goodness emerge from tragedy and pain . . . heroic deeds, selfless compassion, a one-for-all sense of community. Somehow in the midst of something evil, goodness fights to prevail.

Is it really possible that something evil could end up being used for good? To answer that question, we have to look back – back to the very beginning of evil itself.

Twice in Scripture the curtain of time is pulled back, and we are granted a glimpse at the most foolish gamble in history. Satan was an angel who was not content to be near God; he had to be above God. Lucifer was not satisfied to give God worship; he wanted to occupy God’s throne.

According to Ezekiel, both Satan’s beauty and evil were unequaled among the angels:

You were an example of what was perfect,

full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.

You had a wonderful life,

as if you were in Eden, the garden of God.

Every valuable gem was on you . . .

You walked among the gems that shined like fire.

Your life was right and good

from the day you were created,

until evil was found in you. (Ezekiel 28:12-15)

The angels, like humans, were made to serve and worship God. The angels, like humans, were given free will. Otherwise how could they worship? Both Isaiah and Ezekiel describe an angel more powerful than any human, more beautiful than any creature, yet more foolish than any being who has ever lived. His pride was his downfall.

Most scholars point to Isaiah 14:13-14 as the description of Lucifer’s tumble:

You told yourself,

"I will go up to heaven.

I will put my throne

above God's stars.

I will sit on the mountain of the gods,

on the slopes of the sacred mountain.

I will go up above the tops of the clouds.

I will be like God Most High."

You can’t miss the cadence of arrogance in the words: “I will ... I will ... I will ... I will ...” Because he sought to be like God, Satan fell away from God and has spent history trying to convince us to do the same. Isn’t that the strategy he used with Eve? “You will be like God,” he promised (Genesis 3:5).

He has not changed. He is as self-centered now as he was then. He is as foolish now as he was then. And he is just as limited now as he was then. Even when Lucifer’s heart was good, he was inferior to God. All angels are inferior to God. God knows everything; they only know what he reveals. God is everywhere; they can be in only one place. God is all-powerful; angels are only as powerful as God allows them to be. All angels, including Satan, are inferior to God. And this may surprise you:

Satan is still a servant to God.

He doesn’t want to be. He doesn’t intend to be. He would like nothing more than to build his own kingdom, but he can’t. Every time he tried to advance his cause, he ends up advancing God’s. Erwin Lutzer articulates this thought in his book The Serpent of Paradise:

The devil is just as much God’s servant in his rebellion as he was in the days of his sweet obedience ... We can’t quote Luther too often: The devil is God’s devil. Satan has different roles to play, depending on God’s counsel and purposes. He is pressed into service to do God’s will in the world; he must do the bidding of the Almighty. We must bear in mind that he does have frightful powers, but knowing that those can be exercised under God’s direction and pleasure gives us hope. Satan is simply not free to wreak havoc on people at will.
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Satan doing the bidding of the Almighty? Seeking the permission of God? Does such language strike you as strange? It may. If it does, you can be sure Satan would rather you not hear what I’m about to say to you. He’d much rather you be deceived into thinking of him as an independent force with unlimited power. Satan has absolutely no power, except that power God permits.

He’d rather you never hear the words of John: “God’s Spirit, who is in you, is greater than the devil, who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). And he’d certainly rather you never learn how God uses the devil as an instrument to advance the cause of Christ.

How does God use Satan to do the work of heaven? God uses Satan to:

1. Refine the faithful. We all have the devil’s disease. Even the meekest among us have a tendency to think too highly of ourselves. Apparently the apostle Paul did. His résumé was impressive: a personal audience with Jesus, a participant in heavenly visions, an apostle chosen by God, an author of the Bible. He healed the sick, traveled the world, and penned some of history’s greatest documents. Few could rival his achievements. And maybe he knew it. Perhaps there was a time when Paul began to pat himself on the back. God, who loved Paul and hates pride, protected Paul from the sin. And he used Satan to do it.

To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given to me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. (2 Corinthians 12:7)
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We aren’t told the nature of the thorn, but we are told its purpose – to keep Paul humble. We are also told its origin – a messenger of Satan. The messenger could have been a pain, a problem, or a person who was a pain. We don’t know. But we do know the messenger was under God’s control. Please note what Paul says next:

Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:8-9)
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Satan and his forces were simply a tool in the hand of God to strengthen a servant.

Another example of the devil as God’s servant is the temptation of Job. The devil dares to question the stability of Job’s faith, and God gives him permission to test Job. “All right then,” God says. “Everything Job has is in your power, but you must not touch Job himself” (Job 1:12).

Note that God set both the permission and the parameters of the struggle. Job passes the test, and Satan complains, stating that Job would have fallen had he been forced to face pain. Again God gives permission, and again God gives parameters. “Job is in your power,” he tells Satan, “but you may not take his life” (Job 2:6).

Though the pain and the questions are abundant, in the end Job’s faith and health are greater than ever. Again, we may not understand the reason for this test, but we know its source. Read this verse out of the last chapter. The family of Job “comforted him and made him feel better about the trouble the Lord had brought on him” (Job 42:11).

Satan has no power except that which God gives him.

Even when Satan appears to win, he loses. Martin Luther was right on target when he described the devil as God’s tool, a hoe used to care for the garden. The hoe never cuts what the Gardener intends to save and never saves what the Gardener intends to weed. Surely a part of Satan’s punishment is the frustration he feels in unwillingly serving as a tool to create a garden for God. Satan is used by God to refine the faithful.
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God also uses the devil to:

2. Awaken the sleeping. Hundreds of years before Paul, another Jewish leader battled with his ego, but he lost. Saul, the first king of Israel, was consumed with jealously. He was upstaged by David, the youngest son of a shepherding family. David did everything better than Saul: he sang better; he was more impressive with the women; he even killed the giants Saul feared. But rather than celebrate David’s God-given abilities, Saul grew insanely hostile. God, in an apparent effort to awaken Saul from this fog of jealousy, enlisted the help of his unwilling servant, Satan. “The next day an evil spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and he prophesied in his house” (1 Samuel 18:10).

Observe a solemn principle: there are times when hearts grow so hard and ears so dull that God turns us over to endure the consequences of our choices. In this case, the demon was released to torment Saul. If Saul would not drink from the cup of God’s kindness, let him spend some time drinking from the cup of hell’s fury. “Let him be driven to despair that he might be driven back into the arms of God.”

The New Testament refers to incidents where similar discipline was administered. Paul chastises the church in Corinth for their tolerance of immorality. About an adulterer in the church he says: “Then hand this man over to Satan. So his sinful self will be destroyed, and his spirit will be saved on the day of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 5:5).

Another example of such action is the case of Hymenaeus and Alexander, two disciples who had made a shipwreck of their faith and negatively influenced others. “I have given them to Satan,” Paul tells Timothy, “so they will learn not to speak against God” (1 Timothy 1:20).

As drastic as it may appear, God will actually allow a person to experience hell on earth, in hopes of awakening his faith. A holy love makes the tough choice to release the child to the consequences of his rebellion.

By the way, doesn’t this help explain the rampant evil that exists in the world? If God allows us to endure the consequences of our sin, and the world is full of sinners, then the world is going to abound in evil. Isn’t this what Paul meant in the first chapter of Romans? After describing those who worship the creation rather than the Creator, Paul says, “God left them and let them do the shameful things they wanted to do” (Romans 1:26).

Does God enjoy seeing the heartbreak and addictions of his children? No more than a parent enjoys disciplining a child. But holy love makes tough choices.

Remember, discipline should result in mercy, not misery. Some saints are awakened by a tap on the shoulder, while others need a two-by-four to the head. And whenever God needs a two-by-four, Satan gets the call.
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He also gets the call to:

3. Teach the church. Perhaps the clearest illustration of how God uses Satan to achieve his purposes is found in the life of Peter. Listen to the warning Jesus gives to him:

“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to test all of you as a farmer sifts his wheat. I have prayed that you will not lose your faith! Help your brothers be stronger when you come back to me” (Luke 22:31-32).
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Again, notice who is in control. Even though Satan had a plan, he had to get permission. “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me,” Jesus explained, and this is proof (Matthew 28:18). The wolf cannot get to the sheep without permission of the Shepherd, and the Shepherd will only permit the attack if, in the long term, the pain is worth the gain.

The purpose of this test is to provide a testimony for the church. Jesus was allowing Peter to experience a trial so he could encourage his brothers. Perhaps God is doing the same with you. God knows that the church needs living testimonies of His power. Your difficulty, your disease, your conflict are preparing you to be a voice of encouragement to your brothers. All you need to remember is:

No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he'll never let you be pushed past your limit; he'll always be there to help you come through it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good. (Genesis 50:20)​