Job

There are difficult times these days in our world. Many people are losing jobs, and the financial markets have tanked. The stress was evident in my discipleship group this morning as many of the men's jobs are at risk. The fact that God has promised to work all for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purposes (Rom 8:28) was brought up. The next thought that came out was...."what if God wants to move me out of my comfortable house and into a lesser socioeconomic status?" Then do I still believe Romans 8:28? That is part of the question isn't it? Surrender. Do I surrender all to God? Am I willing to look to him for my provision AND accept that which he feels is best for me....even if it isn't what I want? It's easy to not have to deal with the question when things are going well. Although, we remain distant from the Almighty in that position. We grow close to him when we wrestle with our flesh and by the power of the Spirit give our wills over to him. O that wrestling can be hard. Job wrestled with it. He was a godly man who had everything in the temporal world going for him. Wealth, family, respect, health. God allowed it all to be taken away. Job wrestled with his flesh for most of the over 40 chapters in the book. Until he got a vision of God. He then surrendered to the will of his creator and sustainer. In that wrestling Job did not sin. The closing prayer of our group was that we, like Job, would be men who surrender to the will of God whatever happens. That we would trust and obey even in the hard times and seek his presence and favor in all things. That we would recognize the sovereignty, power, goodness and right of control of the King of kings and Lord or lords. O that I might have the faith to say as Job did:



Naked I came into the world and naked I shall depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. May the name of the Lord be praised. (Job 1:21).

Amen

Thanks to my borther Dave H. for his insite.