Lately in my Bible reading, I've begun to study the book of Job. Talk about a story to really humble us! For me, the story of Job is God's ultimate example of suffering in the Bible. This faithful man lost everything in order to learn how much he needed God. But, reading this also breaks my heart. He loved God with all his heart and even God calls him "blameless and upright- a man of integrity," (You know you're doing good when the most perfect being in the universe starts dishing out compliments). Regardless, God allows evil to sneak into Job's life, robbing him of his home, family, livestock, crops, servants, wealth, and ultimately his health.
The Bible says, "13 One day when Job’s sons and daughters were feasting at the oldest brother’s house, 14 a messenger arrived at Job’s home with this news: “Your oxen were plowing, with the donkeys feeding beside them, 15 when the Sabeans raided us. They stole all the animals and killed all the farmhands. I am the only one who escaped to tell you.”
16 While he was still speaking, another messenger arrived with this news: “The fire of God has fallen from heaven and burned up your sheep and all the shepherds. I am the only one who escaped to tell you.”
17 While he was still speaking, a third messenger arrived with this news: “Three bands of Chaldean raiders have stolen your camels and killed your servants. I am the only one who escaped to tell you.”
18 While he was still speaking, another messenger arrived with this news: “Your sons and daughters were feasting in their oldest brother’s home. 19 Suddenly, a powerful wind swept in from the wilderness and hit the house on all sides. The house collapsed, and all your children are dead. I am the only one who escaped to tell you.”
But get this! Job's response is complete PRAISE to God!
"20 Job stood up and tore his robe in grief. Then he shaved his head and fell to the ground to worship. He said,
“I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord!”
22 In all of this, Job did not sin by blaming God.
But then, the devil begins to prey on Job's health by striking him with boils from head to foot.
Man, my heart goes out to Job... I can empathize with the hurt, confusion, grief, and sorrow Job was going through. The Bible makes it very clear that Job grieved his losses. He felt the sorrow of losing everything God had given him. Then, he ultimately felt the suffering and heartache of losing his health.
This is what interests me most about the story of Job. The fact that he could have everything taken from him and be unshaken; but when the devil began to mess with his health, the fight for his faith and trust in God begins. But, it is almost like through this story we are able to get a glimpse of the devil's playbook. We see he almost treats this as a game. To see if he can break the faith of the most faithful man in the world. He tells God, “Skin for skin! A man will give up everything he has to save his life. But reach out and take away his health, and he will surely curse you to your face!” Although we may not actually, "Curse God," when our health is compromised, I strong agree with the idea that the loss of our health can effect us in a different way than any other loss. Not to say that if you haven't experienced this you don't understand the depth of that hurt, but I do believe that the devil resorted to attacking Job this way for the purpose to hit Job in the closest, most intimate part of himself. Our health strikes a deep-seated chord that touches the most inner part of someone. It is the basis of our existence and the foundation of our life that so many take for granted. And when that boat rocks, the one thing that we pray always remains still, it can be the scariest loss of all. That certainly was the case for Job.
I would even go as far as to say, I believe this could be a reason that the devil has resorted to attacking me, in this way. My pastor always says, "The devil doesn't kick a dead dog." Although I may never be able to place my finger on exactly why, I know the devil's intention is to damage the destiny that God has set aside for me. When we give our lives to Christ, the struggle begins because the attacks from hell are going to come at us from all angles, trying to drag us from God. This is why I am so grateful for the book of Job. Because we are able to view this from an outside perspective, and ultimately gain an understanding about the same sorts of situations in our own lives.
I believe that Job's trials were for the purpose of demonstrating and testing the faith that Job had in God. And honestly, I am so grateful for Job's struggle because it has shown me the faith that is possible and the level of faith that is honorable to God. So honorable in fact that Job ended up with his own book in the bible. All 42 chapters of it. But, Job was not perfect. He was still human. He too reached a breaking point where he questioned God's intentions.
Sickness pushed Job to the edge.
He constantly questions God by saying things like, "Tell me, what have I done wrong? Show me my rebellion and my sin. Why do you turn away from me? Why do you treat me as your enemy? Would you terrify a leaf blown by the wind? Would you chase dry straw?"
Job 13:23-25
Another major thought that brought me to make this post was the influence and impact that sorrow and suffering can have on a person. I wanted to better understand what God's word says about how we should deal with those emotions as Christians. The Bible is so encouraging when it comes to grief and sorrow. God certainly understands that during these times we need to be wrapped in his love the most. So I thank God for the encouragement he's given me in his word and through his people. There are many examples that stand out to me of men and women that withstood suffering and cried out to God. God ultimately helped them and moved in their situation. Hannah is an amazing testimony of this in the book of 1 Samuel. For years, not being about to give a child to her husband, the bible says that she cried out before him so that even the priests thought she was drunk. But God looked upon her with favor because of how she dealt with her grief. Instead of staying bitter, angry, depressed, or hopeless, she turned to God. Not only for a miracle, but for comfort.
The bible says, "Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me." (Psalms 23:4) God is our comforter!
Even in the case of Job, the bible says that all that Job lost was restored to him after he humbled himself before God.
But to anyone that have been through sorrow or suffering, you know that some days, it's just not that easy. There is a burden that creeps in on the least expecting days. When your heart just hurts because of the losses we've experienced. And that's not to say that we haven't given these things to God or that we don't find our comfort in him, but the wounds and scars from those losses can be great! Sometimes I just have those days where I'm not happy. Where I just can't seem to shake the heartbreak of what is going on. And for a long time I felt guilty that I would have these days. Like, what was wrong with me? Had I not truly given this to God? Was I being a neglectful Christian? Well the answer is obviously no to all these things! I was simply being an imperfect human, right? Reading through Job, you see although he still praised God, he sat in grief for quite a long time. He mourned his losses just as we do. I'm sure Hannah spent her fair share of time overwhelmed by the hurt of her circumstances.
I believe God gave us our emotions for a specific purpose. And understanding the depth of suffering is important for so many reasons. But, with saying that, emotions can often be misleading. They can trick us into believing the lies the devil tries to tell us. And I think that that is where we have to show self control as Christians. To gain control over our emotions and not let how we feel damage our view of the truth. And the truth is that God wants to use your heartbreak for good! He wants to use this thing that the devil tried to destroy us with to help us grow closer to Him.
The burden of sorrow upon my life throughout this journey has been something I have struggled to understand and get a hold of in my own life. As my dad constantly reminds me of is that the most important thing is to be obedient and faithful. To constantly give that grief and sorrow to God. But, all the while have the grace on yourself to have bad days, to struggle. And remember, life is about learning to handle these heartbreaks as they come. I don't believe we are born with the ability to know how to make it through. I believe that God uses our pain to help us grow. And more importantly, help us grow closer to him.
I'll leave you with one last quote:
"Only the soul that knows the mighty grief, can know the mighty rapture. Sorrows come to stretch out spaces in the heart for Joy. "
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