Hey guys! There has been a particular bible story on my mind recently that I would like to discuss on
here with all of you.
Many of you have probably at some point in your life have heard of the story of Job. Maybe it was during a Sunday morning church service, or perhaps you came across the story in your own reading. The story of Job is one that is told time and time again, and usually has the same purpose of preaching it. It generally is a story told to give people a hope for the troubling times they experience in their lives.
If you have never heard of the story of Job, I will give a quick synopsis below. Or, if you would like to read the full story for yourself, which I recommend, you can find the book of Job in the old testament of the bible.
Synopsis of the book of Job: Job is introduced as a man who is looked fondly upon by God. He is seen as being a just man, doing all that God asks of him. Not far into the book is God and Satan introduced. God asks Satan if in his time on earth he has seen Job. He (God) even refers to Job as "my servant Job". God tells Satan that he is a faithful servant, who "fears God and shuns evil". Satan in response tells God that Job is only doing that because God has blessed him as much as he has. To test his true loyalty and faith in God, Satan proceeds to strip Job of all of his earthly possessions. First taken away is his servants, sons and daughters, and all of his animals. To many people, this would seem like a travesty; a total life set back that would be nearly impossible to recover from. Through this, Job does not once curse God. Throughout the rest of the story, Job talks with his friends who start questioning Job and what he has done to deserve all of the terrible things in his life. Job starts to question the meaning of his life, and wishes that he was dead. After chapters upon chapters of Job talking like this, God steps in. He questions Job about who truly laid the foundations of the earth, who has infinite knowledge, and who has set the plans for Job's own life. In this questioning, Job starts to realize how silly foolish he was for questioning God. After being forgiven in the old testament way (sacrificing an animal to God), Job is given back double of all of the possessions he lost: servants, children, and animals.
As a child grown up in church I would always hear the story of Job and feel sorry for everything that he had lost. I would ponder how I would react if all of the experiences Job went through happened to me. I truly believe the story of Job is told for a few reasons. 1. I believe that God wants us to see that even those who follow him will experience trying times. Just because you are a Christian does not mean your life will be perfect and easy. There will be times of pain and sorrow. 2. Even those who follow God the closest can question God in hard times. Many people think that you should not question, and that it is wrong to. No, no one should question God, but it happens to the best of us in hard times. 3. God will restore your losses, either today, tomorrow, or in the far future. It is difficult to trust God when it seems to so much has been lost. However, believers can be assured that God will restore our losses, and heal our pain.
Until next time,
Your brother in Christ, Kyle
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