From the Inside Out

Conventional wisdom teaches that we are in control of our own destinies, that hard work and perseverance will assure achievement of goals.  To a point that’s true.  Laziness and a lack of follow-through do not lead to success.

But.  Those truisms fail when disaster strikes.

Ask Job; he’ll tell you.  He was an extremely wealthy man.  In fact, he was the greatest man among all the people of the East.

Job also enjoyed a large, loving family.  His children liked each other so much they partied together.

Job was also a blameless and upright man—totally undeserving of what happened to him (Job 1:1-4).

He was stripped of everything.  All of his wealth.  All of his wonderful children.

Recent tornado victims know the magnitude of such horror. Home and all its contents, gone.  Family members, gone.  I can only imagine their emotional pain and heartache.

And what was Job’s reaction?

If you had asked me that question a couple of years ago, I would have answered that Job was incredibly accepting, that he did not blame God.  And those statements are true.

But there’s more:

“Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head” (1:20a).  OK, that makes sense.  Those were customs of the day for expressing grief.

And then do you know what Job did?

“He fell to the ground in worship” (v. 20b).

What?!  How can a person possibly worship at a time like that, when your whole world comes collapsing down around you?

All Job had left was his foundation—a foundation of faith in God.

Worship was his expression of that faith, declaring God’s worth to him—in spite of horrific calamity.  For Job, God was enough.

From Job we learn that true worship is not reliant upon circumstances.  We don’t have to be on top of the world to worship.  In fact, a sacrifice of praise (Hebrews 13:15) is surely very precious in God’s view.

Second, true worship is not reliant upon emotions.  We don’t have to be filled with joy in order to worship.  We can worship God with our tears, expressing our trust in spite of the pain.

Job couldn’t rely on answers that would give meaning for his suffering.  God gave him none.  What Job did rely upon was God’s character:

• “His wisdom is profound, his power is vast” (9:4a).
• “He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted” (9:10).
• “If it is a matter of strength, he is mighty!  And if it is a matter of justice who will summon him?”  (9:19).
• “You gave me life and showed me kindness, and in your providence watched over my spirit” (10:12).
• “To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are his (12:13).
• “Can anyone teaching knowledge to God, since he judges even the highest?” (21:22).

In the end, knowing God is more important than knowing answers.

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Heavenly Father, I shake my head in wonder as people of faith such as Job neither blame you nor give up on you in the face of calamity.  Instead, they rely upon you all the more tenaciously.  They worship, affirming that you are still their sovereign, loving God.  They testify of your strength and peace.  Thank you for being a God who comes alongside us with your wisdom and grace, especially when we’re hurting.  Thank you for powerful examples to follow, such as Job.

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