The first of January, I started reading the Bible in chronological order. Starting in Genesis with creation through Noah and the flood. Then it jumps to the book of Job. Let me just say that I was following a reading plan from Bible Gateway that would take me through three to four scriptures a day. Have you ever read the book of Job? There are 42 chapters, 37 of which depict his physical and emotional suffering, and the less than constructive words of his well meaning, dreadfully misguided friends. As I read according to the plan, I found myself so discouraged right along with Job. I could almost feel his anguish. Then, I would stop after three chapters, and come back the next day to feel it all over again. As strange as this may sound, I started to decline right along with Job. OK, I'm sure I have no idea what Job actually suffered, but I found myself just empty after reading everyday. So, today, I read through about 20 chapters and finished the book. The more I read, the more I knew I needed to keep reading because once I got through all of Job's bitter account, and after wading through all of his friends two cents worth of bad advice, I knew God was going to set all things straight. I knew eventually, if I didn't stop reading, as tedious as it was to process all of the words and accusations and grasping at straws, of everyone trying to figure out why Job was passing through this horrible life of heartache, agony, ridicule, and reading the words of Job himself despising the day of his birth, wishing he could just go to his grave, I just knew God would speak. I reached chapter 38, and read the words I had longed to hear, "Then the LORD answered Job..." YES! There it was. Finally, I had reached the mountain top!
I am still amazed that it was actually God who initiated the whole deal with the devil, and suggested Job be the target of Satan's next attempted demise. It's so easy to blame the devil for everything, and don't get me wrong, I am sure that Satan loved every minute of the torture he was allowed to inflict on Job, but that's just it-GOD allowed him to do it. While Job was living "the good life" on one level, here was this conversation in the heavenlies, a battle for devotion, a holy wager, if you will, going on in a place completely unbeknownst to Job. Then, as if out of nowhere, he was blindsided by the deaths of all his children, losing everything he had and becoming so sick, so detestable that even his closest friends had to sit with him a whole week before daring to utter a single word because his suffering was so great. (And I whine when I break a nail.) Perhaps even more amazing is the fact that throughout this period of Job's devastation, not once did he take the advice of his wife to "Curse God and die". (Interesting wife...a whole other lesson there!) Would I have been so strong? I hope so, but until you are faced with it, no one really knows. I do know that I have sat in the seat, as Job did, while people's accusations flew, knowing they had no idea of that which they spoke, and had to bite my tongue and just trust that there was some purpose in all that I had experienced.
After all was said and done, I think one of the most powerful things that came from Jobs mouth was found in Chapter 42:5-6 that says, "My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.” Wow. Even though Job, in his own eyes had not caused all of this to come upon him through any sin or wrongdoing, once his eyes were opened and he saw God with spiritual eyes, he knew that even his righteousness was as filthy rags compared to the righteousness of God. At that moment, Job no longer thought it important to defend himself against false accusations. All that mattered was that the Most Holy God was there in all His glory, and suddenly the tiny piety that Job might had an inkling of seconds before suddenly melted away like wax in the presence of the great I AM. This excerpt of passage taught me two very valuable lessons:
1. No matter what good I do, compared to the goodness of God it's nothing, so get over it and stop feeling so puffed up over it.
2. God lives on a totally different level than I spend most of my time, even though I am doing "good" things.
The amazing truth is that God wants us to join him on his level, see things with the spiritual eyes that we were created to use, and experience God's kingdom here on earth. The sad truth is that most of the time I am content right where I am, rely far too much on these physical defective eyes, and settle for the "way less than satisfying earth's system" of living. I am thankful it doesn't have to be this way, and when I passionately seek God, He will be found. Another important lesson that can be taken from this passage is that no matter how bad our situation is, how much we seem to be suffering, how far gone we feel, God will always speak, eventually. If we can just hold on, and press through and not give up, He will talk to us. It might not be when we think he should and it might not be in the way we would do it, but in His way and His time, he promises that if we call on Him, he will answer. Holding that thought in the foreground of our mind, and seeking Him wholeheartedly, we will have momentum to keep on and not give up.
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