The God Test - Job 1, 2, 38, 42

“The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” (Job 1:21).

If you’re ever having a bad day, spare a thought for Job.  The quintessential saint, Job was very blessed.  But one day his wealth was destroyed, his family killed, and his health diseased.  Worst of all, LOVE seemed to be complicit in the punishment.  Job’s wife threw in the towel and advised him to “Curse LOVE and die!”  That was not appreciated.  Job’s friends said, “this is all your fault!”  They were also unhelpful.  

Understandably, Job fell in to a deep depression and a furious confusion with God at what had happened to him.  Eventually he ranted against LOVE only to discover that LOVE answers to no-one.  Grace thinks differently.  LOVE confounds human reason, returning fury with friendship, confusion with compassion, and loss with lavish blessing.
We all need friends who will encourage us and help us see LOVE’s perspective on things.  Today let’s thank God if we have friends like that and pray for them if we don’t.  Of course, no-one can get friends like that and keep them, until we are a friend like that to someone else.  Let’s ask LOVE to show us who we can encourage today.

“After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as before.” (Job 42:10)