Suffering, persecution, pain, shame, loss and disappointments are no strange words to believers. In fact, scripture instructs us not to be surprised at the fiery ordeal among us, which comes
upon us for our testing. We should not consider such ordeals strange, but we are to instead keep
on rejoicing, so that at the revelation of His glory we may
rejoice with exultation (1st Peter 4:12-13). Job is one bible character that teaches this great lesson: "When all is gone but God, He is enough!" (NIV Commentary).The book of Job starts by introducing to us a man who lived in the land of Uz by the name of Job. This man is described as a blameless and upright man, who feared God and shunned evil. He is also described as a wealthy man, who had several sons, three daughters, seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred donkeys and a large number of servants (Job 1:1-3). Even by today's standards, Job was undoubtedly a wealthy man. All seemed to be going well in his life, until God mentioned to Satan how proud He was of Job.
Job 1:8 states, "Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.” Job was a great testimony! It is one thing to claim that you are walking with God. It is another thing for God to testify that you are walking with Him: blameless and upright in His eyes! Despite God's strong testimony of Job's life, Satan accused Job of fearing God for mere blessings and protection (Job 1:9b-10). He claimed that Job's love for God was superficial, based on material blessings that he was getting as a result of walking with God. The devil is the accuser of believers. He does not accuse us once in a while; he does it day and night (Revelation 12:10). The good news is, Christ paid the ultimate price for our redemption, once and for all. The blood of Jesus that was shed on the cross for remission of our sins, is upon us and it speaks mercy!
God allowed Satan to test Job and He handed over to the latter, everything that belonged to Job except his life (Job 1:12). By doing so, God enrolled Job into His school of learning where his faith was to be subjected to serious testing. In one single day, Job lost his sons, daughters and all his livestock. This was a great tragedy that tested how deeply rooted in God, Job's faith was. In our lives, our faith has either been tested in the past, is being tested or will be tested. Often times, God refines our faith in the furnace of affliction (Isaiah 48:10); He refines us as silver and tests us as gold (Zechariah 13:9). This could be in form of different tragedies and difficult circumstances: loss of loved one(s), involvement in a debilitating accident, broken relationships with close family members and friends, great financial loss, loss of a job, being diagnosed with a terminal illness, only to mention but a few.
The afflictions that we pass through in our testing are often painful and heart breaking. Why then does God allow such circumstances to befall us? Does He delight in our pain, sorrows and tears? Scripture highlights the following reasons for God testing us:
a. For Him to know our hearts- Deuteronomy 8:2 states, "You shall remember all the way which the LORD your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not."
b. To teach us certain Truths- Deuteronomy 8:3 states, "He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD."
c. To discipline us- Deuteronomy 8:5 states, "Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you."
d. For eternal rewards- Revelation 2:10 states, "Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life." Also, James 1:12 states, "Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him."
e. For God to show Himself strong through His children- Daniel 3:16-18 states, "Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. "If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. "But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up." We know that God delivered the Hebrew boys from the blazing fiery furnace, and this miracle was prove to the entire kingdom that the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego was the only True God.
f. To mould us in righteousness- Malachi 3:2-3 states, "For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness,..."
Job's response to his great affliction is admirable. He acknowledges his source to be God when he states, "Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart," (Job 1:21a). Your source is God! This truth should never depart from us. Indeed, a man can receive only what is given him from heaven (John 3:15). Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows (James 1:17). For from him and through him and to him are all things (Romans 11:23).
Our family members, friends, career, ministry, money, life, land, properties and all that we have, belong to God. We are only stewards of what He has placed in our hands!
Rather than murmur like most of us would, Job chose to praise God despite his pain, confusion and disappointments. Upon receiving news from messengers of his devastating losses, he says, "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised,” (Job 1:21b)
In times of tragedy and difficult circumstances, choose to praise!
Thirdly, Job did not sin by charging God with wrong doing (Job 1:22). Job believed that God is just in all His ways. He also believed in God's Sovereignty. Truly, the LORD is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all he does (Psalms 145:17). It is not easy to understand why God does certain things. As a matter of fact, there are many questions that we will never be able to answer while on earth. NIV Commentary reiterates this by stating, "It is easy to think that we have all the answers. In reality, only God knows exactly why things happen as they do, and we must submit to him as our Sovereign."
When life's turbulent storms hit your life, your heart must learn to rest in God for He is Just and Faithful in all His ways.
Job's first test touched on his family and possessions. The second test is explained in chapter 2 where Satan is given permission to attack his health. Satan afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head (Job 1:7). Job experienced unimaginable anguish and pain. As if not enough, Job's wife provoked him to let go of his faith, curse God and die (Job 1:9). The woman that Job loved and had spent his life with, perhaps in her frustration with God, was a disappointment to Job in his hour of need. There are certain situations that God allows us to pass through that only He can minister life, hope and healing to the depths of us; our spouses, family members and friends may desire to do so, but fall short by virtue of their human limitations. Job's response to the wife's suggestion of him cursing God was very insightful: "Shall we accept good from God and not trouble?" (Job 1:10).
Seasons come and go, but God remains faithful in all seasons. He is God when you are mourning and when you are dancing!
In seasons of testing, we are provided with an invaluable opportunity to learn life transforming lessons from God. Job realised that inspite of the pain, shame and disappointments that he had experienced, he needed to position himself to learn from God. He said in Job 6:24, "Teach me, and I will be quiet; show me where I have been wrong." I wish to emphasise that in times of testing, God often reveals Himself to us in ways that we would never have known Him. May God help us to have a babe spirit, that is teachable during times of testing.
Amidst the turbulent storms, the strong blowing winds, the fierce fire and the raging waters, may your heart be open to God's teaching, instructions and transformative work!
Upon meditating on who God is, Job wondered why He would be so concerned with man, to examine him every morning and test him every moment. He wondered why God had not looked away from Him nor abandoned him, even for an instant (Job 7:17-19). Clearly, God acknowledged that God was with him; that he was not alone! We are never alone- Though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we fear no evil for God art with us (Psalms 23:4); Never will He leave us, never will He forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). He is Emmanuel, the Lord together with us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed (2nd Corinthians 4:8-9).
God is always with us, even when we do not feel like it!
In his loss, pain and shame, Job chose to focus on the greatness of His God in Job chapter 9. In fact in verse 10, he states how God performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted. He is God, besides Him is no other. He never changes- He is the same yesterday, today and forever more. Have you received a negative doctor's report that you have a terminal illness or have only a few months to live? Has your doctor informed you that your child will never be able to walk or talk? Has your family member been involved in an incapacitating accident? God is Mighty and Able, may He show Himself strong through your circumstances.
Human beings may be limited, but God is not. He is Lord, God, Almighty!
Job demonstrated great trust in His God. He did not allow his faith to waiver in his hour of testing. He confessed that though God slay Him, yet would he hope in Him (Job 13:15). This shows that Job had fully abandoned his life to God, in absolute surrender. He understood that man's days and the number of his months were determined by God (Job 14:5). He was fully assured that his Redeemer lived, and though his skin be destroyed, yet he would see God (Job 19:25-27). He further confessed that God knew the way which he took; having tested him, He would bring him forth as gold (Job 23:10). You and I need to walk in the assurance of hope that is ours in Christ Jesus. This world is not our home, we are only passers by. May God help us to fully abandon ourselves to His will and His purposes for our lives.
Your present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in you!
Join me in making this prayer:
Lord I thank you for your unchanging nature. You have promised never to leave me nor forsake me. I thank you for your presence that is with me through the valley of the shadow of death, through fierce fires and raging waters. I fully abandon my self to your will, that you may use everything that I am going through for your glory. As I go through this season of testing, may you perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish me according to 1st Peter 5:10.
Amen.
