Good and Bad

There may be several new believers who were sold a bill of goods when they were won over to Christ. They may have been told that when one becomes a believer, God will miraculously change their life situation; that he will soon transform their rough circumstances into something better. They may have been led to believe that God will always protect them from every kind of harm, and because they are a believer, life will be frictionless if only they would put their faith in God. But mature believers know this to only be half true. We know that God does protect us, but we also know that he may choose for us to go through the storm. Job knew this, even though his wife struggled with the concept. It says in Job, chapter 2, verses 9 and 10: 

“His wife said to him, ‘Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!’ He replied, ‘You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?’ In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.” 

It is a huge disservice to promise new believers a frictionless life. Because when their faith is tested; when they find that there is a circumstance that God wants them to walk through, not rescue them from, their faith may fail. Job said, “shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” If you are walking through something today and you’ve prayed for deliverance, all to no avail, consider this verse. Consider that God may want you to walk through the storm. He may have decided not to rescue you from it or to help you avoid it. But also know that in all situations, God is with you. Regardless of what you see with your eyes, know that he can see the bigger picture, and may be working in ways you cannot see. I encourage you to trust him. I encourage you to have faith.

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“Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” Job reminds us that God is sovereign. And in his sovereignty, he may decide to have us walk through something instead of rescuing us from it. If you are familiar with the story of Job, you will know that God allowed Satan to have free reign on him and his family. God already knew, and had decided, that Job would have to walk through all of the calamities he faced. It was only at the end did Job see the bigger picture, and because of his faithfulness God restored to him all that he had lost and more. Will you be like Job? Will you trust God? If you are struggling today, I encourage you to allow the Holy Spirit to give you a new perspective on your situation. Allow him to lift your head and give you hope. Allow him to remind you that God has your best interest at heart, and understand that this may be one of the times he chooses for you to walk through your situation instead of rescuing you from it.

Reverent Humility

I was thinking about the story of Job the other day and I believe that the Holy Spirit brought a fresh concept to my mind as I read. I know that as we build a relationship with our God, one way to operate in that relationship is to treat him like a friend. Often times, I get up in the morning and talk to him out loud as if I'm carrying on a conversation with a close friend. I'm sure God is fine with that and likes it when we are informal and relaxed around him. But the danger comes when we become too relaxed, so much so that we lose sight of his God-ship. Job 1:8, tells us that Job was the most righteous man of his time. Even still, he expressed a bit of arrogance when referring to the ways of God, proclaiming his innocence in the sight of God. In essence, he was questioning why he was experiencing such calamity as if God were in the wrong. When God finally speaks, he is quick to rebuke Job. In Job 42:1-6, Job responds with these words:

"Then Job replied to the Lord: 'I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. You ask, 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?' Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. You said 'Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you and you will answer me.' My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.'"

Job, the most righteous man of his time, lost sight of the reverent humility that needs to be remembered when it comes to God. At times, we can let our emotions get the best of us when it comes to our idea of God. We may act as if we know him better than everyone else, even to the point of speaking for him or unintentionally challenging him as if we know better than God. We may begin to think that our walk with God entitles us. And we can get a little puffed up, mistakenly proclaiming wisdom in our own eyes. This lesson from Job teaches us to remember our place. God will always be God and we will never be. His ways will always be higher than ours, his thoughts greater than our thoughts. He is the creator and we are the creation. We should never forget that God is God. Yes, we are his children, and he loves us so much that he bought us with the blood of his son, but he is, and will always be preeminent. So, we need to be careful not to fall into the trap that Job found himself in. But I should note that he did the right thing in repenting.

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As I think about Job’s story, I'm also reminded about Uzzah who tried to steady the ark of the covenant and was struck dead by God, because he didn't recognize the holiness that came with the ark of our Lord. I'm not saying that we should be afraid of God, but I think there should always be a healthy dose of reverent fear and reverent humility when we approach our God. In the old testament, when people would approach an earthly king unannounced, they knew that by doing this, the King could decide to kill them on the spot.  Often times they wouldn't, but that knowledge was always there. Likewise, I think we should maintain a reverent fear for our God. We should never forget our place when it comes to who we are in him and who he is in us. That is why we bow in his presence instead of arrogantly striding up to him.

Yearning Heart

If you’ve ever truly been in love, you might attest to the pain of being away from your significant other, even if it is for a short time. Your desire to reunite with them may be so great that your heart yearns within you. Is your relationship with Jesus close enough for you to yearn for him? Does your heart jump when thinking about seeing him one day face to face? It did for Job. Check out chapter 19, verses 25-27 which says:

"I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes - I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!"

Yes, this is from Job in the midst of losing everything he owned including his children and being heavily afflicted in his body with disease. Even after this his heart still yearned for God. How is your heart towards him? Every one of us, one day, will die. If you believe in Jesus you will spend eternity with him in heaven. I encourage you to stir your heart for him now, before you meet him face to face. Love him now, live for him now, press into him now so that your heart will yearn for him now. Let our love for him be so strong that he consumes our minds. After all, the greatest commandment is to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength. Let’s get to that place now.

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The Oxford dictionary says that to yearn means to have an intense feeling of longing for something, typically something that one has lost or been separated from. “to have an intense feeling of longing”. How is your relationship with Jesus? Does your heart yearn to see him face to face? I encourage you to give full attention to your relationship with Jesus. It is my hope that every believer, including myself, arrive at a place of intense feelings of love and longing for our Lord - so much so that our hearts yearn within us.