Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.” Job 1:8 NIV
There can be no greater honor than to have God make such statements about a man! What was it about Job that caused him to stand apart from everyone else on earth and appear upright in God’s eyes? That’s what we want to explore in the next several writings of Grip. Let’s look at the qualities we find in Job that pleased God so that we can implement those same qualities in our own lives!
One day when Job’s sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby, and the Sabeans attacked and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”
While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The fire of God fell from the heavens and burned up the sheep and the servants, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”
While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”
While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, “Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!” Job 1:13-19 NIV
If you’ve ever experienced bad news on top of bad news, you have some small idea of what Job was experiencing. Four messengers arrived at Job’s house, all within minutes of each other, all reporting terrible news! But none spoke more devastating words than the fourth messenger who delivered the tragic news that Job’s children had been killed when a storm swept through and destroyed the house they were in. The loss of a child is something that no one is ever prepared for and I can’t begin to fathom the overwhelming pain of losing all of them at once. How can anyone recover from such news? Where do you go from there?
At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” Job 1:20-21 NIV
In the midst of incredible loss and the overwhelming pain that accompanied it, Job found his center of gravity in the Lord. Granted, under such circumstances, all believers would cry out to God, but Job didn’t just cry out for help, he chose to worship! He found strength in recognizing the Lord’s divine right to take away any or all of the blessings He had so graciously allowed him to enjoy, if only for a season. That’s what worship is all about; recognizing God’s divine authority and realizing that He has the right to do whatever He pleases, simply because He is God. He gets to map out our course. Job had followed God long enough to know He took no pleasure in his pain. Job saw no good in his circumstances but he saw good in His God, so much so, that he felt compelled to express that to Him in praise!
Could it be that one of the righteous qualities God appreciated in Job was his ability to stay focused on His character?
How much better would we handle difficult times if we focused on the goodness of God rather than the situation?
Imagine standing at the base of a mountain and looking straight ahead: you’d have little to no emotional response to the scene on the other side of the mountain because all you’d be able to see is the mountain standing right in front of you. If God is the mountain, and your problems are on the other side, you will be inclined to worship. But if all you focus on is your problems, they become the mountain and you lose sight of God. Job understood that God was far bigger and far greater than any of the circumstances he encountered on this earth. God was the center of his focus!