Press "Enter" to skip to content

We live by promises, not expectations

Psalm 28:7 The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.

When some Christians have troubles or some health issue, a few fellow Christians ask themselves, “I wonder what he or she did to cause this pain and suffering?” This question was always asked in the Old Testament days more so than it is asked 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, seven sons and three daughters. Job even took sacrifices of burnt offering before the Lord to pay for his family’s 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 asks Satan where had he been and Satan told God in Job 1:7 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 God’s children unless God allows it.

Job 1:8 1 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. 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 Job 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.

Question: Will we find out one day why we had all these different troubles in our life? I believe when we see Jesus and the Bible says in 1 John 3:2 but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. I don’t think our troubles here will matter anymore.

Satan within hours had wiped out all of Job’s livestock, riches and servants except for the four that brought the bad news to Job about his loss. Also Satan had killed his family except for his wife. Everything that God had blessed Job with was gone.

What did Job do? He says in Job 1:21 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 Job’s loss of everything he had including his family he still trusted in the God but, again Satan steps into Job’s life and struck him with a sickness near death. Job’s wife tells him to curse God and let Him kill you!

Three of Job’s friends came to comfort him and sit with him. But, they judged him by saying, Job must be a wicked man and God is punishing him for his sin. Job responded to them was something like this; I believe God is just and powerful as you do. I am not a hypocrite and I know of no sin between me and God. I would argue my case with God but I cannot 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 defend God’s judgment during his circumstances.

How about you, how about me? Can we trust God throughout all of our trials, troubles and sickness? I believe very few would have that kind of faith because many would question God and some would have turned from their faith in Him. 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 their own 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 don’t live by explanations, we live by promises.

Don’t know that I would have the faith of Job if I lost all my family and everything else but, I pray that God would give all of us 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.” It’s not my choice and I’m sure it’s not yours to have troubles but it is our choice to trust God with all. I would hope we all would say as King David did in. Psalm 28:7 The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him.

Source


Source: https://www.mtairynews.com

Be First to Comment

    Leave a Reply