Faith of Job



This guy is always good for a
smile. I firmly believe
my pets were a gift from God to
remind me to chill.

Note: This was not the post I intended to write tonight. I sat down to focus on another topic and it seemed this one simply flowed. So here goes.

“Then Job replied to the Lord: ‘I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted.’” ~Job 42:1-2

Some folks have told me how positive I’m being in spite of the, shall we say, life change I’m currently facing. I’m never sure how to respond to those people. Would you prefer I whine and moan about my lack of a job? That doesn’t do anyone any good.

And, besides, I’ve no doubts that God has it under control.

Except there are days when the Devil tries to creep in with his doubt and fear and scare me.

But then, the Good Lord in His infinite wisdom, reminds me.

“Don’t worry.”

“I’ve got this.”

 

One thing that’s been strengthened in this season of my life has been my prayer and quiet time with God.

 

Perhaps it was coincidence that I discovered these women’s devotion books at our church just before it happened.

Perhaps it was coincidence that I started reading them just before I lost my job, enough that it had become a habit.

 

Just like it could be chalked up to coincidence that I was a few days behind in the books, instead of reading the actual day’s reading, so that they lined up with the exact message I needed the days I needed them.

Just like the reading the day I was let go led me to Matthew 6:25-34. One of my favorite passages. It’s most well-known for these words:

“Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” ~Matthew 6:34 NIV.

Words that gave me comfort as I left the office with my box full of stuff that afternoon.

All of this could be coincidence. But that’s the thing. God doesn’t really do coincidences.

I firmly believe that God sets things in motion to lead us to Him. Some ignore that. Some also blame Him for things that are not of God. But He can handle that too, using evil for good.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” ~Romans 8:28 NIV.

This doesn’t mean life is easy. This doesn’t mean life is rainbows and butterflies. It’s HARD. But we have to trust that, even when we don’t understand what’s happening, God does.

That leads me to another of my favorite verses:

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” ~Ecclesiastes 3:11. 



Isn’t that kind of a huge, overwhelming and amazing thought? If we had the capacity to understand God, we would see that everything made by Him is beautiful in time.

 

In time.

 

Sometimes, it takes time for the beauty of something reveal itself.

 

I think that’s part of what makes this verse so great to me. It reminds me that it takes time for some things to reveal the beauty that God has given them. I stumbled across this verse when I was a teenager -- an awkward, uncomfortable teenager. I always felt like a bull in a china shop, like I was too big for the world in which I existed. I’ve always been a bit of a “bigger” girl and I knew it in high school.

 

Funny enough, I wish I could still squeeze my hiney in those size 18 jeans and large t-shirts I wore back then.

 

But this verse gave me comfort back then. That even though I felt incredibly un-beautiful (it’s a word in this blog) I was incredibly beautiful to God. Maybe I couldn’t see it and maybe others couldn’t see it, but God did.

 

And it gives me comfort now. I’m not that uncomfortable kid anymore. I’m still awkward, but some things never change. That’s not why it gives me comfort.

 

It gives me comfort because I know that God will use this season of life for beauty. What seems like it should be a dark time is really a time of growing, of blooming. The world may not see it that way.

 

But God does.

 

And I do.

 

So I have faith, that whatever happens in this season, God will use for His glory.

Perhaps, it’s by getting people to see my optimism and my faith.

I don’t want people to say, “Aw, isn’t she positive about her life? I wonder why?”

I want people to say, “Wow, look at her faith. Wonder where that comes from?”

And I want the answer to be plainly obvious. My faith comes from God. The God who can do anything.

 

What about you?

 

Job is a perfect book to reference for this post, because Job has long been heralded by Christians for his faith. “The faith of Job.”

“In the land of UZ there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.” ~Job 1:1

 

For those of you who aren’t familiar, Job lost everything. Literally. In one fell swoop, his life was turned upside-down. He lost his home, his children, his wealth, everything, when God allowed Satan to test the man. The only caveat was that Satan was not allowed to touch Job.

“In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.” ~Job 1:22

Then, God allowed Satan to touch him, but not take his life. Satan then covered Job with painful sores.

The only thing that remained of his former life was his wife, who, in her pain at losing everything and seeing her husband in pain, wanted to turn her back on God and wanted her husband to join her.

 

But he didn’t. He kept his faith that God would bring him through.

 

And, to make a 42-chapter book short, God did. In the end, while He didn’t bring back the deceased children, God made the family fruitful again. They were blessed with more children. His wealth doubled from what it was before.

“The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the first …” Job 42:12 NIV.

 

And Job? He lived a long life, dying “old and full of years,” according to verse 17.

 

And his faith, well, that’s something that’s still remembered. Through it all, he remained a man blameless and upright, devoted to God.