The Faith of Job

It is always fascinating to read the Book of Job. As we all know, it’s the story of this wealthy man who had everything going for him. We read of his status as a wealthy man in Job 1:1-3 which says “In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. He had seven sons and three daughters, and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East.”

Although Job appeared set for life, he still placed God first above all things. Surely, throughout the years Job pleased God in many ways by remaining blameless and upright, fearing God in all things. But then God allowed Job to be put to the test. To see if his faith was genuine or if his faith was based on his great wealth and prosperity.

We all know the story of how in one afternoon, God allowed Satan to remove it all. Job’s children were killed, his livestock stolen, his servants killed, in fact, the only thing that Job had left was his wife and his health. What is remarkable in all of this is that even though Job was probably at the lowest part of his life, he still honored God. 

We read in Job 1:20-22, “At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.”

How often have we yelled at God when we seem at our lowest? How often have we blamed God for whatever misfortune may have struck our lives? Our God has big shoulders and He can certainly take whatever feelings our frustration may be sending His way. But what He is looking for is to see how quickly we may calm down and let the realities of the God we know settle in. He is looking to see how long it will take before we return to trusting in Him and honoring His Holy Name.

Faith is a mindset. It is a deepening understanding of the truths about God, His blessed Son and His precious Holy Spirit. Faith is a belief that is then acted on. It is a walk that is at times difficult to maintain, but it is critical that we do maintain our faith. Again, look at Job. After losing all of his wealth and children, he was then afflicted with sores all over his body. Through it all Job refused to compromise his faith in the God he knew. He resolved to endure whatever must be endured to prove his faithfulness to God.

Let us pray that we too will have the strength of our convictions and the boldness to cling to our faith regardless of our life’s circumstances.

Pray for discernment whenever we are going through a trial or a struggle. Pray for clarity to the cause of the struggle and for enlightenment of any lessons that God is trying to teach us.

We all know that faith can be challenging, especially if our life’s struggle is ongoing or particularly difficult. But faith would not be faith without the will to look into an unclear future and cling to our understanding of a faithful and loving God.