Faith
The question always arises when a Christian has troubles or has some health issue. "I wonder what he did to cause this
pain and suffering?" This question was always ask in the Old Testament days more so than it’s ask today.
The book of Job is a great example of this very thing. The Bible says that Job was perfect and upright and one that feared
God. Not only was Job a just man but, God had blessed him with riches and 7 sons and 3 daughters.
Job even took sacrifices of burnt offering before the Lord to pay for his families sins. So, there was not another man like
Job in all the world at that time or maybe never will be other than Christ Himself according to the Bible.
Job is a fascinating account of a man of God of long ago. Job's suffering was one of tremendous pain and heartache.
It all starts with a conversation between God and Satan. God ask Satan where had he been and Satan told God in verse 7 of
chapter 1 going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it
You might remember what the Bible says in 1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a
roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Satan wants to cause Job sickness and sorrows. He wants you
and I to have sickness and sorrows. He really wants to kill each of us but, God won’t allow it until our time is finished
here on this Earth. So Satan can't touch Gods children unless God allows it.
Verse 8 of chapter 1 of Job the Bible says And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there
is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?
Satan then says, you have built a wall of protection around your servant Job and all that he has and I can't get to him but, if
I could he would curse you to your face! God says OK, you may do anything you want to him but, you can't kill him.
Keep this in mind about this man called Job. He never knew why bad things were about happen to him and neither do we.
Satan within a matter of hours had wiped out all of Jobs livestock, riches and servants except for the 4 that brought the bad
news and killed his family except for his wife. Everything that God had blessed Job with was gone.
What did Job do? He says in verse 21 of chapter 1 of Job And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked
shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. 22 In all this
Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.
After all of Jobs loss of everything he had including his family he still trusted in the Lord but, again Satan steps into Jobs
life and struck him with a sickness near death. Jobs wife tells him to curse God and let Him kill him.
Three of Jobs friends came by to comfort him and set with him but, they only said in the end that Job must be a wicked
man and God is punishing him for his sin. Job responded to them something like this: I believe God is just and powerful as
you do; But I am not a hypocrite... I know of no sin between me and God; I would argue my case with God but I can-not
find Him; Nevertheless, I will trust Him, for He will justify me either in this life or in the life to come. It took a great deal
of faith for Job to argue this way in the light of his circumstances. How about you, how about me? Can we trust God
throughout all of our trials and troubles, sickness while we are here on this Earth?
God is completely sovereign in His dealings with His people and will never permit anything to come in the life of a
Christian that is not for his good and God’s glory. God does not have to explain His ways to us. It is enough for us to
know that He cares and that He never makes a mistake. We do not live by explanations; we live by promises.
Don't know that I would have the faith of Job if I would lose all my family and everything else but, I pray that God would
give me enough to make it through this life and just to hear His words as He says, well done good and faithful servant.
Adrian Rodgers said "Faith is not accepting from God what you want...faith is accepting from God what He gives"
Love in Christ Jesus, Ronnie Miller www.themillersbiblestudy.com
