If we aren’t careful, immersion in the Word can become routine and we can lose our wonder.
Everything there is to say about waiting has been said before, so let’s take a look at someone in scripture who waited – sometimes well, other times whiny. Let’s talk about Job. Now, if you are familiar with this story, you’ll understand that Job’s primary concern wasn’t waiting. His issues were centered around loss. May I submit that these two things aren’t entirely separate?
Consider the woman who is in the middle of her wait for marriage and a family (I know, I know…I’m tired of this analogy too, but it’s just such an easy illustration). The first time one of her friends gets married, it’s exciting. She plans the shower and graciously gives the maid-of-honor toast at the reception. She does this joyfully, knowing that when it’s her turn, it will all come back to her. But her turn doesn’t come that next year. Or the next. In fact, fifteen years later, the bridal showers have become baby showers, yet she still waits, and her desire to raise a family is now synonymous with opportunities lost to the biology of the human body.
What about the man who has dreamed of starting a local business? Without the backing of a major corporation, much of his adult life has been spent raising the funds to open the doors to his shop. Finally, the perfect property comes along – and it’s in his budget! He makes an offer, and just before the final contracts are drawn up, he is outbid by a national chain in the same market. His wait is now marked by loss and disappointment.
Oftentimes, our wait begins as just that – waiting and believing. But the longer we live in that waiting season, the easier it is to see all the things we have lost along the way. Maybe you can relate to one of the scenarios above. Maybe you’ve lost something else along your journey: friends, finances, a loved one, a job… perhaps even your hope. Holding on to the promises of God can often feel lonely and increasingly painful.
The longer we live in that waiting season, the easier it is to see all the things we have lost along the way.
I think it’s time we meet our knight-in-dingy-armor. In the opening line of his story, we read that Job is “blameless.” Not bad, as opening lines go. He is a beloved patriarch and the richest guy around. It looks like things are going swimmingly for our hero, until heaven starts holding conversations about him behind his back.
In verse 6, we see the members of the heavenly court coming to present themselves to the LORD, with Satan the Accuser tagging along. When his presence is questioned, Satan declares that he has been patrolling the whole earth. And then we read one of the most heart-breaking and awe-inspiring statements in scripture. In Job 1:8, the LORD replies, “Have you considered my servant Job?”
This is the moment that Job becomes a target, and it appears that this is God’s doing. Up to this point, there’s no indication that Satan has taken any particular notice of Job, and my guess is, Job was okay with that. Satan makes the accusation that the only reason Job is a faithful servant is because God has put up a wall of protection around him and his family. He hypothesizes that if God would take away all Job has, then Job would surely curse God. What follows is an experiment of supernatural proportions – an all-out, no holds barred kind of warfare waged against God Himself, by way of His greatest servant.
Now, we need to get something settled in order to truly understand what is set forth in this verse, and that is the fact that God is all-knowing and all-powerful. In His mercy, He has gifted us with the boundary of time, yet He is not bound by it, just as He is not controlled by any other aspect of His creation. He stands both outside of time and completely in control of it. Nothing surprises Him. That ought to encourage those of us still waiting.
He is not controlled by any other aspect of His creation. He stands both outside of time and completely in control of it.
God knew exactly what was going to happen to Job. He knew what would be taken and when. He knew how Job’s wife and his friends would react (side note… let’s be careful who we let speak into our lives. We need someone who will speak truth more than we need someone to commiserate). Still, knowing every detail of how this would all play out, God says, “Have you considered my servant Job?”
That is one hefty endorsement. God, in all His wisdom and knowledge, is basically saying, “Do whatever you want to him. This one is mine. I trust him.”
Let that sink in. And as it does, let it become personal. I don’t know the details of your life right now. But on the chance that there is something not right at the moment, may I submit a theory? What if heaven held court regarding you? What if God said of you, “Have you considered my servant [your name here]? This one is mine.”
Sweet friend, my prayer for us today is that we would know how deeply loved we are, that the truth of how He loves us would ring louder than the evidence of our circumstance. And finally, that the Holy Spirit would teach us to consider our present sufferings not worth comparing to the glory that is being revealed in us (Romans 8:18).
While we search for purpose in these moments of life that we never expected, let us take comfort in the fact that we are perfectly seen and perfectly loved.
This one hit home! To think that what feels like punishment and like God has turned from us might just be an indication that He trusts us to stay faithful.
Amen!
“the glory that is being revealed in us,” (Romans 8:18) really stood out to me.
One of my favorite verses. The Glory is coming! This is all just temporary.