Many of you know the story of Job….  He is going about his life and all is going well. He is blameless and upright and loves God. Then the enemy goes to God and says that Job is only blameless and a follower because his life is so perfect. Like, who wouldn’t be, right? But his God knew better and He allowed some pretty awful things happen to him. He lost his land and his livestock and his money. He watched his children die and he pretty much lost it all.

Job grieves after these tragedies and then…falls to the ground and worships God! After his health goes down , and he’s in so much pain, his wife enters the story. In Job 2:9 she says to him,”Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die.” Now, she is who most of us can relate to. I mean, I totally get his wife. Even though I know I belong to God, and I do love Him with all that I am, I do understand being so overwhelmed and broken in my circumstances that my faith has been drained and I have really been upset with God.

We as Christians (those who have matured or have just became one) understand that trials and struggles will come, as Philippians 1:29 says “For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for Him.” Yes, we are promised suffering. But we are also promised an abundant life.  And though it hurts, we know the end result is a life with Him forever. The most important thing is for Him to be glorified and for others to see how amazing He really is. And He promises in Romans 8:28 that all things will work together for good! (Look that verse up and underline it!)

Back to Job’s story….  God blessed the latter part of his days. His future held so many blessings, he couldn’t even count them. What a promise and a hope to hold onto! It’s hard when you are going through such difficult things to actually fall to the ground in worship.  We may be more like Job’s wife and want to curse God. Or naybe tell Him that we could write the story so much better and the pain would be so much less but we would make sure He got the glory, right?  Wrong! Sometimes the only way He is glorified is to see Him working in a life that is at the end of the human rope. Nothing and no one can do anything to make it better—then God steps in and saves us. No other way but Him.

I can tell you that I have lived through seven years of hard and I am just now seeing the ‘why’ of it. I cannot say that I understand it, but I can say that I totally trust Him. Others will know for sure that it is nothing that we (our family) have done, only our God. But we did believe…and we did keep walking when we really just wanted to stay in bed…and we did keep thanking Him for what He was doing in our lives. Some days all I could say was Mark 9:24, “I believe, help my unbelief.”

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If this is you today, and you’re really wanting to fall on the floor and cry, remember that God is sovereign and He knows what He is doing. If you could see the end of your story, you wouldn’t change a thing. And most of all, He will get the glory and others will come to know Him, through you! And if you are one that doesn’t know Him, please ask Him today to be Lord of your life. All you have to do is pray this simple prayer:

Dear God, I know I am a sinner and I need forgiveness. I know that I need a Savior. I believe that You sent Your Son to die on the Cross to save me from my sins. I want Him to come into my heart today and be my Lord. I want to walk with You through this life. In Jesus’ name, amen.