February 3, 2011

Job 2
This all-loving all-powerful God permits Satan to take his best shot at God’s most loyal subject. That is love? Why? I think it is for the benefit of all creation. How would we know if loving God is worth it unless we are put in the worst of circumstances in order to experience God in the midst of the worst circumstances? When Job’s closest friend sums up the situation and advises him to “curse God and die,” How will he respond? Will he find that the experience of God is worth the adversity? That is indeed the theme of the book. What is Job’s response? “Shall we indeed accept good from God and shall we not accept adversity?” We are about to find out if it is worth the adversity. The next 40 chapters records the adversity and Job’s struggle with the pain of his detractors and the pain of feeling misused by God. Job is indeed angry with God at times, but in the end when he comes face-to-face with the Almighty, he repents. Hmm. . . I have never suffered to the extent Job suffered. But I have found that in my worst times of feeling abused, that is when the presence of God was the strongest. I don’t want those times of being abused, but I will take them for that increased sense of God’s presence. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john