He was an honest man of great success. He had 10 children and thousands of livestock. He was good at his profession, giving glory only to God. In fact, the Bible calls him “the greatest man among all the people of the East” (Job 1:3). He was truly blessed by his Savior. Then, without warning, disaster struck. In an instant, he lost all his worldly possessions. His family, land, livestock and his good health were stripped from him.
This man’s name was Job, and his world was turned completely upside down. Have you ever felt like your world has been turned upside down? Have you ever felt like everything you held close was taken away?
I have. Over the past several years, my youth group has experienced many transitions. At one point, my youth group went through two youth pastors in two years. During all the change, I was really confused, and I didn’t understand why God was putting me through that storm. A lot of the people I trusted were gone.
Through the Storm
As I reflected on what Job went through, I realized that he could’ve easily cursed God and died. But Job adopted the attitude that God calls us to have in the midst of our hardships. In James 1:2-3, God instructs us to “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.” God wants us to consider it PURE joy when we face trials of many kinds. He doesn’t want half-hearted joy. Instead, He wants pure joy. He wants us to express our joy in Him without holding anything back.
I certainly didn’t have pure joy when my youth pastors packed their bags. Instead of looking at how Christ was going to cause me to grow closer to Him, I moped around, sulking in self-pity. You may be thinking, How does someone fight off depression and find joy in the midst of a trial? We have to understand and realize that God’s in control of our every move. When Job was covered in leprous sores with nothing left to call his own, he still praised God! He trusted God even when he didn’t understand why He was being put through all that misery. And so he passed his test of faith.
My dear sisters, isn’t it comforting to know that He allows each trial in our lives? God does everything for His glory and our good, so you can have joy in the fact that the Creator of the universe is being glorified in your life! How awesome is that?
Sun Shines Through
As Christians, we know that God has a purpose. So what do we do during the trials? What do we do in the middle of the stormwhen we’re waiting for His purpose to be revealed? It isn’t the time to mope around in sweatpants, eating mint chocolate chip ice cream out of the carton. In the middle of the rough times, we need to be like Job! Job knew that his heavenly Father had a plan for him, and he glorified God as he waited.
I wasn’t patient as my youth group was falling apart. I wanted an immediate fix, and in my impatience, I was very crabby! As you wait, listen to the words of Isaiah 40:31 for encouragement: “But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
As I recognized that God is sovereign over everything that happens, I had peace. Like Job, I was able to rest, knowing my Savior would provide for my needs. My precious sisters, as you wait joyfully on the Lord, adopt the attitude of Job and praise Him through the pain.
