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- Oct 26, 2007
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"But he knows where I am going. And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold. Job 23:10 NLT
Job was a good man who loved and honored God but was allowed by his Creator to be subjected to the worst losses a man can imagine: his children, the works of his hands, his health, and his reputation. It makes no sense—don’t we expect God to bless us when we obey Him and do good? Job’s story ends on a happier note, but it encompasses one of the main tensions of living the Christian life: God gives and takes away. Will we still honor Him under every circumstance He permits?
That’s where hope comes in: Job’s story is only the second most important account of suffering ever recorded. The story of Jesus is even more tragic—God Himself becoming human, subject to all our temptations and pains and sorrows, and yet perfect in His response to all of them. For that, we killed Him.
And yet, our hope is all the greater because dying for us was always His mission. He knew that when He rose, we could rise with Him. Everything God allows, He also uses for good. We’re not trusting Him blindly but counting on a God who has always come through in the darkest hours.
Prayer: Almighty God, Your grace is sufficient for me. You give and take away, but I will still bless Your name.
Job was a good man who loved and honored God but was allowed by his Creator to be subjected to the worst losses a man can imagine: his children, the works of his hands, his health, and his reputation. It makes no sense—don’t we expect God to bless us when we obey Him and do good? Job’s story ends on a happier note, but it encompasses one of the main tensions of living the Christian life: God gives and takes away. Will we still honor Him under every circumstance He permits?
That’s where hope comes in: Job’s story is only the second most important account of suffering ever recorded. The story of Jesus is even more tragic—God Himself becoming human, subject to all our temptations and pains and sorrows, and yet perfect in His response to all of them. For that, we killed Him.
And yet, our hope is all the greater because dying for us was always His mission. He knew that when He rose, we could rise with Him. Everything God allows, He also uses for good. We’re not trusting Him blindly but counting on a God who has always come through in the darkest hours.
Prayer: Almighty God, Your grace is sufficient for me. You give and take away, but I will still bless Your name.
