HOPE IN SUFFERING - JOB

"JOB"

Job 19:25-26 “I know my redeemer lives, and that in the end He will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God.”

The life of Job would go down as one if not, the most overwhelming and awe-inspiring story that has been recorded about suffering. I may not put all into writing or account all that had occurred during his lifetime but the book of Job alone is all enough to give us insights. At the beginning of the story, it was described that Job was a blameless and upright man who shuns evil and feared God. He was the greatest man in the East at that time due to his tremendous wealth and numerous servants. However, apart from being devoted to God and being blessed abundantly, he has sons and daughters that were also immoral and does not revere God. As we read the book of Job, we will come to know him as a good man who suffered terribly for no apparent reason. Wretchedly, our world exhibits an act like that. You will find many people being oppressed by their fellowmen, people who are being harassed and mistreated. Still, there is none like the suffering of Job where everything he has was taken away successively except his provocative foolish wife. It was even more supplemented by his fault-finding friends who gave him unsolicited advice.

Job was a model of trust and obedience to God. Nonetheless, God permitted Satan to attack him severely only not taking his life. Why would a good and loving Creator allow such thing to happen to His faithful servant? While God loves us, believing and obeying Him does not exempt us from life’s troubles. Christians and non-Christians alike are both hits with calamities, setbacks, and tragedies. It was never in His good intention to destroy His people who are committed to Him but His wrath is against those who do evil and does not submit to Him. Our response to such a situation is more important than what we feel. Any circumstance like this is an opportunity to demonstrate our faith and prove our allegiance to Him in spite of the misery.  God has made both the good and the bad for a PURPOSE. Like sufferings are God’s design and so with happiness too. You will never understand the essence of patience, endurance and keeping still without experiencing the difficulties in life. How could you be an overcomer if you didn’t overcome something? Likewise, you will never perceive the beauty of victory if you have not tasted defeat.

Now and then God uses sufferings to remind His people, either way, to be faithful even when things are not going right or to do away with sinful ways. Everything that happened to Job has a purpose. He might have felt that God was treating him as an enemy when, in fact, God was his friend and thought highly of him. God Himself complimented Job on the matter of being irreproachable and honest before Him and God was confident to speak well of him before Satan. That should have given Job the pride to be excused from suffering but it didn’t because God wants to prove that no matter what Satan does, he cannot destroy a person who is upright to Him. The same is true to a person who is devoted and committed to God that need not compromise his or her faith when passing thru persecutions. Sure enough, the devil has succeeded in making the life of Job miserable but only for a brief moment. He may do what he wanted to do but he will never be victorious as long as there are people who look up to God and keep the faith no matter what is the situation. Amidst his sufferings, Job has reaffirmed his confidence saying that “I know my Redeemer lives.” A redeemer who brings him out from the pit of deep anguish. He was confident that even when he dies, he will still see God and that’s just the point of his faith! He believed that God’s justice would triumph, even if it would take a miracle like resurrection to accomplish this. Not long enough, the Lord restored unto Job all that was lost and even multiplied his riches more than what he had at first. In the end, God was glorified. In our sufferings, let us learn to be still and trust the wisdom of God. Not to be moved back and never to give up! Lastly, will the Lord also find the confidence to speak well of us before the enemy?