WHEN ALL IS LOST

I start reading the story of Job in the Bible and I go wow! It leaves me thinking for a moment, what would I do if I was put in the same shoes? Would I have such strength and trust in God, that I would still worship Him even after I loose my family and possessions? Is my faith and dependence on God to that extent? Is my relationship with God that intimate, that I know who He really is hence I would rather loose everything but never turn away from God? Job is a good example of how we as children of God ought to react when faced with pain, lose and tough experiences in our stay on earth.

Let’s get to know a little about Job from the first few verses of the first chapter of the book of Job.

1       He was blameless, upright and one who feared God. He abstained and turned away from evil because he honored God (v.1)

2       He was the greatest and wealthiest and most respected of all men of the east. (v.3)

3       He was so conscious about sinning against God that he would consecrate his children after their feasting days and offered burnt sacrifices to God on their behalf. (v.5)

4       God was pleased with him. He called him a blameless and upright man, one who feared God, abstained and turned away from evil. (v.8)

Wouldn’t anyone want such a life? If none then I definitely would. We always desire to live fulfilling lives, to experience prosperity, health and most importantly have an intimate relationship with God. I read the story of Job and it becomes clearer to me that our right standing with God is most important. Let’s look at it this way, we know gold, it is a precious mineral, for we know its worth right? Or rather, the cash in your purse or wallet, because you know its worth, you toil every day to earn some, so that you may settle your bills. What if you did not know the worth of money? You would probably not care as much about it.

The more we familiarize ourselves with something or someone, the better we get to have its knowledge. This also applies to our relationship with God. The better we know Him, the more intimate we get with Him. The more we seek Him, the better we understand God’s attributes and would thus want to have a right standing with Him, seek godly guidance and grow in wisdom, knowledge and understanding. Proverbs 15:6 speaks of a great treasure that is in the house of the consistently righteous. Knowing who God really is and having a relationship with Him is everything.

One of my favorite scriptures Matthew 6:33 talks about most importantly seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all other things will be given unto us. Guess what happens when all things are taken away from you? You’ll still be at peace and have satisfaction in God because you know His worth. Tough times are there to build our character, to humble us, to strengthen us, to prepare us, to teach us, to correct us. See what Romans 5:3-4tells us about suffering and hardships. They produce patient endurance which leads to character(spiritual maturity) and proven character produces hope and confident assurance of eternal salvation.

So let us above all seek to know God, and when we know His worth and live according to His will and plans, then even in our driest season we will be like trees firmly planted and fed by the streams of water (Psalm 1:3).