The Lost Year - Pt. 4

 

“After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before. All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the Lord had brought on him, and each one gave him a piece of silver and a gold ring. The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. And he also had seven sons and three daughters. The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah and the third Keren-Happuch. Nowhere in all the land were there found women as beautiful as Job’s daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance along with their brothers. After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. And so Job died, an old man and full of years” (Job 42:10-17).

 

The story of Job is the stuff nightmares are made. The question Job faces is this: “Will Job serve the Lord for nothing when evil comes upon Him?” Job is never told why he is suffering or going through what he is — even by the Lord when He speaks to Job. Ultimately, the Book of Job and the Old Testament Wisdom Books simply call readers to submit to the Lord humbly. I find the circumstances we find ourselves enduring these days very similar, if not as extreme. Strangely, Job is not finally given an answer to the problem of evil, nor is his question of why everything is happening to him ultimately answered. What is answered is God has His purposes for His children who are experiencing suffering.

 

The Book of Job calls all believers to trust in the Lord humbly. Whether during pain, suffering, or agony, the Lord will sustain His people through it all for His purposes and glory. Job was humbled by the Lord when He revealed Himself to Job (cf. Job 42:5-6). Like Moses and Isaiah, it was God’s visible glory that humbled Job. Job received a reply, not to his question, “What is happening to me,” but an answer to the Who: God! Even so, the Lord never told him about why he was suffering. Job did receive confirmation that suffering is not always for sin, despite his friends’ insistence to the contrary, which is evidenced by the restoration of his blessings (cf. Job 42:12-17).

 

So, the application to us in our lost year is both absolutely true, and, unfortunately incredibly challenging: trust in the Lord’s goodness and grace. I have often over the past year told others who are struggling that God is working all this for their personal good. The Scripture is the basis for that assertion (cf. Romans 8:28). It is going to be all right; maybe not today, but someday! God said so… and that is absolutely the truth.