The Joy of Glory

Discovering endless joy in the boundless glory of God…

Tag: suffering

March 20, 2014

Lent Devotional: Job 2:11-13

Job 2:11-13 (click here)
Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came each from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They made an appointment together to come to show him sympathy and comfort him. 12 And when they saw him from a distance, they did not recognize him. And they raised their voices and wept, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads toward heaven. 13 And they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great. (Job 2:11-13)

Reflection
Silence. This was the best gift that Job’s friends gave him…the simple gift of presence. In fact, once they eventually get into conversation, Job will wish they had just remained silent: Job 13:5, “Oh that you would keep silent, and it would be your wisdom!”

What is ironic to me is that we are quick to see the value of silence with Job’s friends. I am quick to judge them for opening their mouths. They should’ve realized there was nothing they could say to make things better and just been there with their friend. We are quick to see silence as a gift from people…but…the irony is that we do not see silence as a gift from God.

We chastise Job’s friends for speaking and we question God for his silence. He will not speak until chapter 38 and we wonder why!?!? Perhaps God is giving Job the gift his friends are not. Perhaps God is simply being present…with Job amidst his pain. If God were to speak, what would we want him to say? Is there an explanation that he could give that would make Job “feel” better. Or is the best thing just being with Job.

Amidst all our pain, when God is silent, I don’t believe his silence equals absence…quite the opposite. I believe he is ever present, with us amidst pain offering us the greatest gift…himself.  We can know that we never suffer alone and unseen. God is with us…even and especially in the silence.

*The complete SVCC Lenten reading guide is available here.

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March 19, 2014

Lent Devotional: Job 2:1-10

Job 2:1-10 (click here)
Then Satan answered the LORD and said, “Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life. 5 But stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face.” 6 And the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life.” (Job 2:4-6)

Reflection
Satan has been defeated once. He tried to show that Job’s faith was a frivolous response to the material blessings God had poured out on him. But now, all those blessings are gone and Job still worships the Lord. So…Satan changes tactics. Perhaps it’s not physical blessings, but physical health that causes Job to continue his allegiance to the almighty.

Satan is wholly self-centered and cannot imagine viewing the world another way. Surely Job, and all other people, value their own life and health above all else. We know that in many situations Satan is right, but with one (like Job) who truly holds the living God as their greatest treasure, health is merely a bonus, but not a necessity.

How can this be? It is because the one who truly worships God lives with a God-centered perspective, not a man-centered one. The most important thing to a worshipper is that God be shown to be glorious/loving/valuable as he is. Therefore, to lose ones health and still hang on to God only reveals that he is more valuable to you than your own well-being.

The thing that most of the world vigorously values above all, their own health and life, is nothing compared to holding on to God. Even more than that, we hang on to the promise of God that death is not the end for those who worship him! He has promised to destroy disease and death so we dare not let go of him, our ultimate hope! This is the perspective from which Job and we cry, “Though he slay me, I will hope in him!” (Job 13:15)

*The complete SVCC Lenten reading guide is available here.

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March 18, 2014

Lent Devotional: Job 1:13-22

Job 1:13-22 (click here)
Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. 21 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.” 22 In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong. (Job 1:20-22)

Reflection
Job stands among four servants…they’re all that’s left. He’s lost everything…or has he. Job recognizes that there is one more present that the four who “alone have escaped” to tell him all this bad news. The Lord is present…and so Job worships.

How can he do this? How can one worship amidst such immeasurable suffering? Job’s explanation is simple, yet has incredible depth… “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Job says that God is sovereign. He has been in control over all the blessings Job had ever received and he is still sovereign over all that Job is losing. We know that he has right for we have seen what is going on behind the curtain of heaven. Satan is attacking, but only in as much as allowed by the sovereign king over all.  Because God is sovereign, Job feels he can respond in worship.

How does that work? Job’s recognition is that he might not understand all that is going on, but God is still on his throne and can be trusted. He will say that God is worthy of worship when everything is great and he will say that God is still worthy of worship when everything falls apart. Even as he suffers, he knows God is in control and has the power to end his suffering…God is his only hope and so even though much has happened that he does not understand he will not let go of his only hope. Job’s faith doesn’t fail because his faith was not founded on all the blessings that are not gone. His faith’s foundation was God…who is still present to sustain Job through all his suffering.

*The complete SVCC Lenten reading guide is available here.

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