Dealing With Trials 2

In our first look at Job, we learned that calamity can fall upon anyone, even the most righteous of men. It is safe to say that it is easy to worship God when all is well in our lives. In fact, I believe most of us tend to stray from God during times of prosperity because of all of the great things that distract us of our need for Him. Times can change in the wink of an eye, and when they do we find ourselves in a place of questioning God. As we continue to look at Job, we discover one vital asset that God had blessed him with, his integrity. It's Job's integrity that kept him loyal in worshiping God and not blaming him. Even Job's wife said, "Are you holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die" (Job 2:9). Now when a man's wife says he has integrity, we know it is true!

In his book "The Life You've Always Wanted" John Ortberg wrote, and I quote, "A test is a difficult experience through which a person's true values, commitments, and beliefs are revealed. Even though it is painful, testing is an act of love. Suffering serves to test our faith" (Ortberg, p.213). God continues to test Job and in this test He allows satan to attack Job's health as we read in Job 2:1-10 (cited from BibleGateway.com): On another day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them to present himself before him. ² And the Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”

Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.”
³ Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.”
⁴ “Skin for skin!” Satan replied. “A man will give all he has for his own life. ⁵ But now stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face.”
⁶ The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life.”
⁷ So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head. ⁸ Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes.
⁹ His wife said to him, “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!”
¹⁰ He replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?”
In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.
In verse four, satan accuses God of protecting Job because of his righteousness. He is basically telling God that He is not worthy to be worshiped and that He has to pay (reward) people to worship Him. The accuser (satan) claims that if God were to stretch out His mighty hand and strike Job's flesh and bones, that this would finally prompt Job to curse God and bring about his death. God again grants satan's request and allows him to afflict Job with disease, but he must spare his life. Interesting to me that his life was to be spared. If God had allowed Job to be killed, he would have gone home to spend all of eternity with God at that moment. Although this would have been a victory over satan, it was not the one that God wanted. This reveals to me the true test of Job's integrity. Death would have been the easy and most preferred way out of Job's suffering, and as we read through the following chapters of Job, he questions his very existence. Again, Job does not know what is going on in Heaven between God and the devil. God is proving a point of faith here and that is why this oldest of stories is in the Bible. Job's faith was tested during great times of suffering.
I believe that we all have something to learn about the purpose of suffering. The apostle Paul boasts about his faith during his time of suffering in 2 Corinthians 11:23-29. He goes on to boast of his weakness in chapter twelve of 2nd Corinthians and he is given a gift. God allowed a thorn of satan to be placed in Paul's flesh to remind him that his weakness made God more powerful. Paul then says, "Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness'" (2 Corinthians 12:8,9). Job's suffering was no different than Paul's. Their suffering glorified God because of their faith in God. I have been through periods of suffering in my life and it was in those times that I truly discovered the strength of my faith in God. I believe that some of the most Godliest people on this earth are those who have suffered greatly. There is not one story in the Bible that does not express some sort of suffering that had to take to place to glorify God. Moses suffered. Noah suffered. Abraham suffered. David suffered. Jesus suffered. All of these men had one thing in common during their time of suffering, and that was their faith in God.
Job suffered. He lost it all. It was his integrity during great adversity that gave him the ability to persevere. His wife questioned his integrity. She doubted God and gave up on her husband commanding him to turn over and die. In Job's righteousness he replied, "Shall we accept good from God and not trouble?" Again, all is well during good times, but those days are few. There are trials of life ahead for each of us, and everyone of those trials are predestined to strengthen us and prepare us for something greater that awaits us. Most of these circumstances are brought on by our own fallen nature, and God allows these things to happen because He ultimately knows that they will lead us to Him. Job recognized this and honored God by surrendering to Him. He never accused, nor did curse God for the calamity that took place in his life, and the Word says, "In all this, Job did not sin in what he said" (Job 2:10).
My friends, my question is this, "What will you do when you are faced with a trial?" "Who, or what, will you turn to for help?" "Will you turn to your friends, your family, or perhaps your religion?" If you can trust Jesus during times of prosperity, then He has to be enough during times without. He is all we need.
In closing, I would like to share some words of inspiration quoting from Henry Blackaby, "I have come to the point in my life that, if the assignment I sense God is giving me is something that I know I can handle, I know it is probably not from God." Though the trials in life may seem huge and impossible to manage, God has a God-sized victory already in place for you. He is there, waiting to give you strength to persevere, and His grace is sufficient.

Dealing With Trials

     We have all had bad days, weeks, or months even. The circumstances vary, but the pain and the suffering is the same. Why does God allow these things to happen? What is He trying to teach me in this? Am I alone in this? These are the questions that may surface from trials that fall upon us. We all go through this. The good news is that there is a answer to all of these questions in God.

     The great Christian author Oswald Chambers wrote, "If you are going to be used by God, He will take you through a multitude of experiences that are not meant for you at all, they are meant to make you useful in His hands, and to enable you to understand what transpires in other souls so that you will never be surprised at what you come across'' (Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest). God allows us to go through trials to refine us and make us stronger for something great that He has prepared for us in our future. If we are true Christians, then our life in obedience to Him should be surrender and trust with all circumstances that He takes us through in life. We should be thankful for trials and concerned when there are a lack of them. James 1:2-4 says, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

     Let's begin this study on how to deal with trials by looking at the book of Job, as we have so much to learn from what Job had endured during his hardship. Those of you who know Job, know that he probably persevered through the most difficult test than any man (or woman) alive today. His family is killed. His wife abandons him. He loses his wealth and eventually his health. All of this takes place in a matter of weeks. And then to add to his misery, he is afflicted with disease which is described in chapter two. He has no idea that his life is a challenge between satan and God. All he knows is the pain and suffering that he is experiencing. Job becomes desperate and begins to despise his own existence. He is completely and utterly broken.

     Before the trial, Job was considered to be an upright man. He had great riches and was well known within his community. He was a righteous man and had great respect for God. He had seven sons and three daughters. He owned many types of cattle and he had a large number of servants. The Bible says, "He was the greatest man among all the people of the East" (Job 1:3). Job had it all. He was a blessed man. As we take a deeper look at his life, we will gain understanding that blessings come in many forms, during good times and bad.

     Allow me to share from the Bible the testing that Job faced. We'll start in Job 1:6-22 (I will be citing from BibleGateway.com): ⁶ One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them. ⁷ The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”
Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.”
⁸ Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”
⁹ “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. ¹⁰ “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. ¹¹ But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.”
¹² The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.”
Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.
¹³ One day when Job’s sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, ¹⁴ a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby, ¹⁵ and the Sabeans attacked and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”
¹⁶ While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The fire of God fell from the heavens and burned up the sheep and the servants, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”
¹⁷ While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”
¹⁸ While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, “Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, ¹⁹ when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”
²⁰ At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship ²¹ and said:

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
    and naked I will depart.
The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away;
    may the name of the Lord be praised.”

²² In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.

     Did you notice that Satan has access to heaven? This verse begins with angels and satan approaching God for presentation. Just as you are accountable to your boss, the angels are required to check in as well, and along with them comes the deceiver. This shows that he is not a threat to God and that he too has to answer to God. God asks him, "Where did you come from," but God already knows the answer and is quite aware that satan is up to no good. God also knows that satan is looking for a challenge and so He offers Job to the enemy. What a privilege that must be! I could only hope that my life honors God in such a way that He would choose me to be tested by the devil, with complete knowledge of my victory before hand. Of course, satan replies with infinite reasoning as if he were playing some reverse psychological mind game with God, “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.” Do you believe that the God of this universe knows you? The same God that created the moon, sun, stars, and all of the planets made you and He knows you completely. He knows your fears, worries, and weaknesses. He knows your strengths as well as what brings you joy and happiness. He is for you and He would not allow you to endure something that He didn't believe you could. C.S. Lewis wrote, “For you will certainly carry out God's purpose, however you act, but it makes a difference to you whether you serve like Judas or like John” (Lewis, The Problem of Pain). We all know the tragic end of Judas' life. It would be in our best interest to trust God and to serve Him like John had served, in love.

     So the Lord grants satan his request, and allows him to attack Job so long as he did not endanger Job's life. Satan, in all of his craftiness, knows how to cause pain and terror in Job's life, and that is by attacking the things that matter most to him. He starts by deceiving the Sabeans into robbing Job's oxen and killing his servants. In what seems like a matter of minutes, Job learns that fire fell from the sky destroying his sheep, the Chaldeans steal his camels, and the remainder of his servants are put to the sword. And then, as a final blow, satan causes a desert storm to overcome the house that Job's children were feasting in, destroying it and all who were in it. In one day, Job has lost it all. All of which that had any earthly value to him, was taken away.

     If you didn't know the story, how would you expect Job to react? How do you think you would respond to such dire circumstances? I would like to believe that I would have done what Job chooses to do (except for tearing my robe and shaving my head which was Jewish tradition to show grieving). I admit that, if I didn't know God, I would probably be very angry with Him and accuse Him. But Job chooses a different response. Instead of blaming God he falls down in worship to Him. Job cries out, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” Job immediately recognizes his lack of control over matters. He recognizes God's authority and ownership over all things. His faith in God is strong enough that he honors Him with instant praise. Maybe he even feared his own life was at stake and he wanted to give God glory for his blessed life.

     We have the advantage of reading this story on the other side of it. We know what Job's outcome is. There is One that knows the following chapters in our story. He knows the beginning and the end of our lives. Job trusted God no matter what the circumstances. We should trust God as well. As we continue this study over the next couple of weeks, we'll learn how far God allows satan to go when attacking us, how Job continued to trust God even when his friends falsely spoke of God, and how he coped with depression as his life continues with no hope of restoration.

     My prayer is that we begin to let our guards down and that we ask for softening of our hearts. That God would make provisions obvious to us during our times of trials and that we would be accepting of His refinement in our lives. He is an awesome God with infinite knowledge who has a plan for each and every one of us. He does not conform to us but we need to conform to Him and trust Him when storms come into our lives. Thank You Father for the trials. Thank You for choosing us to be tested. Thank You for Your work on the Cross. In Christ's name, Amen.