Job has come up a lot in conversation lately. This could potentially be a very difficult book of the Bible to understand. Or not. After I asked God to show what the whole point of the book is I discovered some really amazing keys. My revelation is only a part of the whole picture but I would like to share my piece of the puzzle with you. I would also very much like to hear your thoughts. Please do join in, see this as a discussion, chat to us in the comments box below.
Bible scholars can't prove or agree whether or not Job was real person or whether the book is in fact a parable. I believe that it doesn't matter either way as long as we learn from it and get closer to God through it. We are all at some stage in this story. Either at the beginning in prosperity, easy and peaceful living with much blessing or in the middle in extreme hardships where it seems that everything is difficult and you are barely holding onto your very life or at the end where you have stood firm, held onto God for dear life, passed through the valley of the shadow of death and come out the other side refined and blessed once again with so much more than ever before. I believe that we are all on our very own Job journey writing our very own Job story. Or more accurately, we are all on our very own journey with blessings, hardships and wonderful testimonies made and in the making. We are all writing our very own story.
In the beginning of your story, there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. And the Lord said to Satan,
“From where do you come?”
So Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.”
This is true because we are warned in I Peter 5:8, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." The devil won't let up, he is constantly walking around looking for his next challenge.
Then God proudly mentions your name in verse 8. Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job [replace with your name], that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil? [Replace with your special characteristics]”
You see, God loves you and is so proud of you that He might be saying, "Have you considered my servant Angela, there is none like her on the earth, a dedicated wife and month who always does her best with her life. She is positive and kind, funny at times and also deep and thoughtful."
You are the apple of God's His eye. He loves you so much and has only good things to say about you. I imagine He is like a proud Daddy telling everyone how wonderful you are! God has full confidence in you, that even when tested to the limits, You will praise Him! That is the beginning of your story.
And so the devil begins his prodding and poking into your life, trying to devour you, doing his best to steal, kill and destroy every part of your life. The middle part of your story begins. For some it begins early and for others it comes later, but to all it comes. None can escape the fact that devil is on earth and is allowed to try to get you to deny your God. But what does the rest of I Peter 5 say,
"Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen."
And James says to us in James 1:2-5,
" My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him."
Even Jesus said in John 16:33,
"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."
Trouble in this world is a given. It is guaranteed. Trouble is not a maybe it is a certainty. You cannot escape it, it is a part of life here on earth! Our story is a job story - no one gets a different option but we all get a choice as to what we do with it and this will determine how our story ends. So let's learn all we can from Job because he had a happy ending to his story.
Part II will follow but in the meantime please let me know your thoughts.
Love
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