“Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him….”

‭‭Job‬ ‭13:15‬ ‭KJV‬‬

In the darkest, most emotionally painful moment of my adult life, when I was lonely, broken and afraid, the Lord led me to an Old Testament book I rarely read…Job. He didn’t send me to Job because I, in any way, exhibited the honor, grace and faithfulness of this great man. I was sent to Job in order to fully grasp the unimpeachable righteousness and sovereignty of our great God…whether I have plenty or am in need, whether I am full of joy or lying on the floor in such darkness and pain that it feels like emotional death.

My personal circumstances do not change the absolute truth that God is sovereign, loving and glorious. In ALL things and at all times the great and Living God is to be praised. The scripture quoted below begins the very moment that Job is told that, not only are all his children dead, but every cent of his wealth…is gone: 20 At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship 21 and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.” 22 In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.

What an amazing disposition Job had toward God in the midst of these horrific losses. What an unbelievable statement of faith, while in unimaginable despair – and with no end in sight to his misery. In what must have felt like total condemnation from, and rejection by, God, Job embraced the only truth that will remain after this world burns…God alone is sovereign, at all times and in all things…blessed be His name!

The above passage from Job 1 absolutely destroys the perspective on “christianity” that is held by so many in the western world. Somehow we think that God’s purpose is to bless us and prosper us materially. Here, the wealthiest man in the world loses literally everything he has and loves in an instant. Even his wife and friends tell him that God is against him and that he should curse God and die…but he refuses. Job stands with God in his pain and does not abandon the faith. His hope is not in prosperity or even in earthly health and happiness…his hope is in God alone. His hope truly was in an eternal kingdom that can never, ever be shaken, ruled by the One who made all things and who promises glory, peace and joy forever to those who love him with their hearts. Surely God was testing Job’s heart by destroying everything…everything he held dear on this earth. Would we pass this test?

If we know that we would not pass a similar test, I would go to to quiet place before the Lord, fall on my face and beg Him to transform my heart by his Holy Spirit so that whether he chooses to give- or take away everything I hold dear, I can say, even in anguish…Blessed be the name of the Lord!!

Favorite Scriptures #1: Paul’s Perspective On This Short Life (Philippians 3:7-14)

The Deceitfulness of Wealth: Your Best Life…Later Part 1

Forgiveness: To The Merciful, God Shows Himself Merciful