Why am I going through this?

Why am I going through this?

Job 23:10-12 But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.
My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside. I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.

1 Pe 1:6-9 So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. 7 These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls. NLT

I have been reading through the book of Job. More can be said about Job than we have time for in this email. But let’s just recount a few things. Job had lost everything. He lost wealth, family and health. The worse of the scenario is he did not know why. He had done nothing wrong.

We have the benefit in this ongoing saga to see what is going on behind the scenes. God is boasting of Job’s integrity; Satan is accusing him of insincerity. The devil said you have put a hedge of protection around him so I cannot touch him. Think of that! There is a wall God puts around his people or otherwise the devil would steal from us, kill us and destroy us! {John 10:10-11}

The Devil believes that man only serves God for the good times. He believes that man will curse God to his face if he loses material goods, family, and health. Lucifer tells God as much. Think of it. The devil thinks you only serve God because of the good he does for you. He feels you are hedonistic {seek for pleasure} and materialistic {values only wealth and why you can buy}. What an opinion of us, is he right? Will we show him a different view?

God allows the enemy to test Job and he does astonishingly well with all that he had lost. He keeps his mouth shut and praises God all through the loss of material things. Of course he was rejoicing at all his losses, Job was devastated. The enemy was unmerciful in his dealing with Job and he obliterated everything he possessed and loved. Job reacted in ancient eastern fashion but with an amazing understanding. In Job 1:20-22 it says, “Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.”

Job was maintaining a “not guilty” status for all he was going through. God had already confirmed that “that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?" {Job 1:8} As Job looked for a reason why he is suffering, he looked for comfort. He finds none from his friends. To compound this, he also thinks God is doing this to him not the devil! Only we have the benefit to see the warfare going on over human beings. Yet we can learn from Job. Even in his self justifying speech we see things that at are needful to make it through a trial.

First, he finds comfort that God knows what he is going through. God “knows the way I take.” God knows where I am at and knows what I am going through. Second, I will be better after this is over. After I pass this test I will be as pure gold. Job gives some indirect advice. He said, “My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside. I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.” The best thing to do in a trail is to stay close to God and his word. Treasure it and love it. The enemy will go away from you saying, “I throw my worst at them and they pray!” I take everything from them and they worship God! “I tried to draw them away from their savior and instead they get closer to him.

Job said I “me feet closely follow his steps! 1 Peter 2:21-22 “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.”

We realize that Jesus suffered and suffers with us in our trials and temptations. But we know they are all for a reason and will in the end benefit us. We can actually rejoice in our trials. In conclusion nothing says it better than this:

1 Peter 1:6-9 So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls. NLT

There are no reasons for hardships. God never did tell Job why! But we know one thing:

“As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.” James 5:10-11

In the end, God gave him double for his trouble! He restored him and blessed him.

Job 42:10-12 And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. 11 Then came to him all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and ate bread with him in his house. And they showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him. And each of them gave him a piece of money and a ring of gold. And the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning.

God is great! We do not always understand him or why we are going though all this, but “he knows the way that we take!” When you’re going through hell, KEEP GOING!

Your Pastor, Mike Gibney