Thursday, May 27, 2010

Suffering

Suffering

Job 1:9 &10
Does Job fear God for nothing?" Satan replied 10 "Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land

Job 2:4 &5
"Skin for skin!" Satan replied. "A man will give all he has for his own life. 5 But stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face."


This is Satan speaking above. He’s referring to God’s servant, Job. Job was an honorable man. A successful man-God had blessed him beyond what most of us can imagine. Job loved the Lord with all his heart, and God was so confident in Job’s faith, that He allowed Satan to take everything away from him, everything-material and physical. I guess you could call it a “wager”- Satan said “let me turn the tables on Job, stir up his perfect little world and then we’ll see how he reacts to his God“.

So, Satan started reeking havoc- destroying his riches one by one, still Job was faithful, Satan took his children from him. Still, Job remanded loyal to his God. Satan made Job deathly ill, he had sores and was in terrible pain-was that the breaking point? Did he through his hands up and say “I’ve had enough”-“Please, no more”? NO- even when Job’s friends came to him and tried to get him to realize that his God must have forsaken him- Job’s faith never wavered-NEVER. He had nothing, he was alone, no family or friends, not even a bed to lay his sick head on, but Job still gave praise to God.

Wow, do you think you could do that? I don’t think I could. So many times, something we think as devastating happens and we’re all about turning our backs on our faith, on God. We talk about how God has betrayed us, about how we believed in Him and He let us down. We pull away from our church, stop praying. We start talking bad about the people in the church who “think they’re so much better…those hypocrites…” We get a sour attitude.

What would it take to be like Job? Would it take actually believing with everything in us that God loves us? Because He does. Would it be surrendering all that you have, all that you are? Would it be putting God first, acknowledging Him in everything? God gave Job that faith and He’ll give it to us- if we ask for it. When we ask Him into our lives, it’s not supposed to be a “reserved spot”, we’re supposed to give it ALL to Him. I think too many times we think of the word “surrender” as “giving up”, but it should be as “getting all”. Because when God is all and if He controls our lives- and He loves and bless us beyond what we can imagine- He’ll do so much better with it than we ever could.

So what happens to Job? Does he die, childless and penniless?
Job 12- The LORD blessed the latter part of Job's life more than the first. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. 13 And he also had seven sons and three daughters. 14 The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah and the third Keren-Happuch. 15 Nowhere in all the land were there found women as beautiful as Job's daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance along with their brothers. 16 After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. 17 And so he died, old and full of years.
The Lord gave Job back everything he had lost and more. When we struggle, when we suffer loss, let’s remember Job and his strong, unwavering faith. Instead of pulling away, draw closer and be blessed! God believed in Job and He believes in you!



Julie

No comments:

Post a Comment