I couldn’t sleep tonight so I figured it would be a good time to catch up on some of my Bible Reading Plan. “Just so happens” I’m starting Job. :) As I was reading, certain verses began to jump out at me. I have so many friends suffering or going through trials right now so I figured I should start jotting it down. It turned into this. I apologize for the length.
Most of us know Job’s reputation, but in his honesty before God there were still questions and I hope this can be an encouragement to so many of you right now. This book has been such a source of comfort to me in the last year.
Just in case you don’t know how the story starts – basically, Job loses everything except his life and he immediately says these beautiful words in Job 1:21, “The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.” (we know that verse and we love it right?!)
However, in Job 3:24-26 he says, “For sighing comes to me instead of food; my groans pour out like water. What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me. I have no peace, no quietness; I have no rest, but only turmoil.” (I’d say those are pretty normal thoughts for someone facing a tough situation. I know I’ve been there in the last year. But somehow, knowing that someone like Job had those thoughts makes it easier to handle.)
Now Job’s “friends” enter the picture…their motives are right, but the way they go about it just isn’t exactly beneficial. However, one of his friends does give Job some encouragement:
In Job 8:21-22 Bildad says, “He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips will shout with joy.” (in the deepest part of our hearts I think we KNOW that this will happen again, there are just times that it seems like we will never get there. And I’m just praying that we will all take some comfort in the fact that we are fallible humans and we aren’t going to have the perfect thoughts and attitudes all of the time – that’s what grace is all about!)
Job then responds to Bildad and IF I’m looking at this in the right context it was a new way for me to look at it. In Job 9:32-33 he says, “He (God) is not a man like me that I might answer him, that we might confront each other in court. If only there were someone to arbitrate between us, to lay his hand upon us both.” (PRAISE JESUS, those of us believers who live this side of Calvary DO have that person…we have Christ’s own Sprit inside of us!!! We no longer have any block between us and the Creator Himself.)
We don’t often quote verses like Job 10:1 that says, “I loathe my very life, therefore I will give free rein to my complaint and speak out in the bitterness of my soul.” (not very encouraging on the surface, but if you think about it – it is so encouraging!!! We have a Father who WANTS to hear our complaints. He wants us to be completely and totally honest with Him. We can say things to Him that we would never dream of telling another human being about the situation we have found ourselves. I know I’ve done it! So go to Him! Tell Him! Cry to Him! Complain to Him! He knows your heart anyway….He just wants you to trust Him enough to be open at His throne of grace. On the flip side, I do want to caution you against cursing God – that is never appropriate)
After quite a bit of accusations from his friends that sin had caused this suffering and quite a bit of Job asking his friends why they keep being so cruel, we get to these beautiful words in Job 19:25-27, “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed yet in my flesh I will see God. I myself will see him with my own eyes – I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me! (What a great time to look forward to right??? So when “friends” or the “enemy” - sometimes one in the same unfortunately – try to make you feel that you did something to cause this trial you can take heart in the words of Job 12:13, “To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are his”. Or in Job 28:20-21,23-24 where he says, “Where then does wisdom come from? Where does understanding dwell? It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing, concealed even from the birds of the air…God understands the way to it and he alone knows where it dwells, for he views the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens.”
Such beautiful words above to something as heartbreaking as this from Job 30:20, “I cry out to you, O God, but you do not answer, I stand up, but you merely look at me.” (sound familiar to anyone else??)
After some much more pointed questioning by his friends, God steps in and asks Job some of His own questions. Questions like “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundations? Tell me if you understand.” (Job 38:4) The point of all these questions was to prove to Job that He was in fact in control. Yes, Job did a lot of questioning. Yes, we do a lot of questioning. There will be times for that. God knows that. Yes, He wants us to trust Him at all times, but He does also understand our humanness!! There will be times we just don’t understand. Heck, we “can’t” understand. We weren’t there when the earth’s foundation was laid so of course we can’t!! But in one breath we tell God we don’t understand, in the next breath ask Him to help our unbelief and He will!
When Job responds to the LORD in Job 42:2, he says, “I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.’ My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.
Sometimes, unfortunately it takes tragedy for us to truly see God for who He is. I pray that we will all continue to see that as we face the path He has set for us. I’m not trying to preach at anyone because God know I am still dealing with these issues myself.
And just because I spent this time in Job, I want to share one of my favorite passages from this book JJ
After all, he’s famous for great and unexpected acts; there’s no end to his surprises...True, he wounds, but he also dresses the wound; the same hand that hurts you, heals you. From one disaster after another he delivers you; no matter what the calamity, the evil can’t touch you.
Job 5:9, 18-19 (The Message)
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