The Short-Sighted Do not See God’s Power
The book of Job is a difficult read. The back-and-forth discussion/argument covers 42 chapters, during which we hear the accusations, speeches, and confusion of three men from three diverse areas trying to explain who God is and how He works in this world. Even Job gets off track asking for God to give him a trial where he can prove the good and proper life he has lived over the years.
Job started as a rich man and by the end of the story, Job is twice as rich. Is it because Job and his three opinionated friends really figure out who God is and how he works? Nope! They only saw the plight of the moment and most of the arguments that were made were proven foolish in the end. Trying to explain God and the reasons for good or bad seasons is difficult to do. Job wasn’t being punished for hidden sins in his life … it was a test that Job endured for a season.
One of the many lessons of Job is that we cannot always make sense of things in the moment. If Job had been a grievous sinner as his friends proposed, why was he raised up to such blessings a short time later? No one knows how long this process endured. Some suggest months while others suggest one to two years. Understand that God has a much larger view world history and has important plans that are not immediately understood by us.
The point is Job lives a very blessed life for more than 90% of his existence. There was a reason that God allowed Job to be tested by satan for a short period. And, I believe that the depth of his trial was so horrible that any of us would have lost all hope. Maybe, the story of Job was for us to embrace when we go through some very, very bad times when it seems like God has cruelly dumped on us. We then started desperately looking for the “Reason” all this stuff is happening.
True enough, we may have brought a bad harvest upon ourselves by our errant and selfish behavior, but those moments have a purpose. I like that Job said, “Though He slays me yet will I trust in him”. He had the right attitude, but he did not have an understanding of his plight. The right attitude is more important than knowing the answer.
If I could be presumptuous about the core element of the eventual success of Job, I see a glimmer in Job 12: 18-25. “True wisdom and power belong to God; from Him we learn how to live, and also what to live for. Then “Strength and success belong to God”
There is an epiphany moment amidst all the human theories. God is always a winner. He is always successful. But “In the Moment” it may not feel like you are winning. But look for a moment to God who always has the LAST WORD. Job and his opinionated friends saw only the trouble, not the power of God. This is not different from Peter walking on the water to Jesus. For a MOMENT, he took his eyes off of Jesus and saw the wave and storm. He then began to sink.
The Principle Truth Institute promotes the belief that God wants us to be a “Success at any level of Life.” This is true in your business, your personal life, your marriage, your children, your health, and anything else that makes you feel like a loser. That is the disaster-thinking of Job’s mistaken friends. Job was not a failure. Job was an amazing success, but it did feel like it at this ugly moment of life.
Consider God’s opinion of Job before and after the period of testing, “Have you noticed my friend Job? Thre’s no one like him - honest and true to his word, totally devoted to God and hating evil.”
Don’t miss this immense statement, “My friend Job.” God would never let his friend fall and not reach down to pull him up again. God is always a winner, and so are those who love Him. “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28
