Written by: Chassidy Leonard
Scripture passage: Job 1:1-8
Job is a man who is known for his great faith in God in the midst of the hardest trials. His faith was tested so deeply, yet he chose to trust God. For decades, his story has served as an encouragement to many in the midst of life’s storms. His story is often referenced as a reminder to trust God’s way even when things seem unbearable. And this is great and crucial! BUT what about when things aren’t SO bad? What about when life is going pretty good and your blessings seem too many to count? What if God’s goodness is overly abundant in your sight? Is the story of Job a good place for you to find encouragement? Absolutely!
I was recently studying the book of Job and I was struck by all that could be found within just the first eight verses. In the first verse Job is described as a man who was “perfect and upright…one that feared God and eschewed evil.” It then goes on to tell us of all his riches. He was known as “the greatest of all the men of the east.” When we get to verse five it tells us more about his devotion to the Lord. We find out that he rose early in the morning to make sacrifices. It also tells us of his concern for those he loved in regards to their walks with the Lord. Finally, we see that Job’s commitment to the things of the Lord were continual. He was consistent in his walk with God.
Job was a man of wealth. Job was a man of worldly power. Yet, he STILL chose God. For the Christian, it seems natural to run to God when things go wrong. We know He’s the only one who can do anything about it after all, right? But what about when things are good? When all seems right in our world and we have more than we ever dreamed of. I believe that’s a very dangerous place to be. In this place, we often put the blessings from God, before God. We fail to see our great need for a Savior. We get so occupied with the things that He has blessed us with that we miss our purpose. We don’t rise early with intention to seek the Lord because we’re too busy getting ready for the earthly task He’s provided. We don’t cry out and intervene in the lives of those around us because we are too comfortable to even notice that there are such dire situations right before us.
The verse that struck me the most was Job 1:8 which says, “And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?” Did you hear what GOD said about Job? Job was a man of such great faith that it stood out to the Creator of the universe. He later even gave Satan the power to test Job’s faith. This caused me to examine my own faith. Would God be able to have that same confidence in my faith? Would He trust that I could be found faithful in such a storm? Am I even faithful when things are “good”?
Seeing how God took notice of Job’s devotion to Him pushed me to examine myself. How does God view my walk with Him? What does God have to say about me? Let us take time this week to get real with ourselves before the Lord. How are we really doing in regards to His Kingdom? How can we work to strengthen our testimony before God? Would God be able to proudly point me out as His child?