S) "9 Then Satan answered the Lord, 'Does Job fear God for nothing? 10 Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 11 But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face.' 12 Then the Lord said to Satan, 'Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him.' So Satan departed from the presence of the Lord."
Job 1:9-12 (NASB)
O) Before we ever even get into the actual trials that Job faced, we are presented with a couple of deep concepts right from the start. Verse 8 is pretty nice. It may be the most pleasant verse in the entire book about Job. The LORD is actively highlighting the life and actions of His servant Job. While that reveals the joy of a bragging Father, proud of one of His sons, I didn't include it here, because I think there is a more important element to see, in this introduction to Job. satan is a supreme liar, the father of lies, in fact (see John 8:44). Like a good liar, he didn't try to directly oppose the words of the LORD, but instead he challenged them indirectly (v.9), while backing his own assertion with truth and flattery (v.10), and then he strikes with true motive (v.11). This reveals a common scheme of the enemy, that he uses to great effect (but we are not unaware, see 2 Corinthians 2:11). It also raises a very, very important question that must be asked of every follower of Christ: "Why are you actually following the Lord Jesus?" (by extension, we can find those root causes by defining what we consider a blessing). Then, in v.12, is the main reason we are here, and in fact, the main reason the book exists at all. Instead of simply replying with truth, and continuing to protect Job, to the glory of the LORD, God allows the trials to commence. What we see here is a remarkable, detailed account, of the same thing Jesus tells Peter in Luke 22:31-32, when He warns Simon that satan is coming after him. Instead of simply protecting Simon Peter, and preventing the adversity, Jesus instead says that He has prayed for his faith to not fail.
A) Here is the real challenge I see: countless times, I have prayed for protection. I have even prayed for a "hedge of protection." In fact, I knew what a "hedge of protection" was, well before I ever learned about what a hedge was. The astounding thing to learn, though, is that the only place where we see this imagery, is in the life of Job. And what happened to his hedge? What would have happened, say, if one of Job's friends immediately recognized the hardships as spiritual attacks from satan, and began praying, "Father God, please restore the hedge of protection around Job..."? I mean, could that prayer be any further from the will of God? The LORD distinctly removed that very same hedge! What if the will of God in my life, or the lives of my children, is hardship? The will of the LORD is perfect. Perfectly timed, perfectly purposed, perfectly good. How can I then pray for protection? This is not to say, that it is wrong to ask for protection. But, I cannot assume that it is the will of the Father. Neither can I assume that when calamity strikes, it is because of some sin, and I cannot either assume that the trials and tribulations are a bad thing in my life. So, my desire for the safety of myself and family, must be tempered by the humble acknowledgement that safety might not be part of His plan. Protection might not be part of His provision for that day, for that month, for that year - or however long He has determined is good.
The flip side, however, is that I do not ever want to neglect an opportunity to protect through prayer. I want to intercede and do the prayerful work of the LORD for the brothers and sisters in my life. But, ultimately, I must concede that I am not privy to the heavenly conversations of God and His angels. So, I summarize to ask that His will is done, and that I see His plan, so that I can glorify His name in the best way possible.
Finally, the issue of cause, must be answered. What is causing my devotion to the Lord Jesus? Am I following Him because of the protection He gives? Am I following Him because He blesses me? How am I defining "blessed" in the first place? There can be only one answer, and it really strikes to the heart of identity issues as well. I can only consider myself blessed based on a single criterium: Jesus sacrificed Himself for my sins, took my punishment, rose from the dead for my justification, and is returning for me. This personal truth, personal relationship that the Son of God has with me, is the complete definition of blessed. I cannot allow myself to falsely define blessed as more than that. If my wife dies young, am I still blessed? If I get fired from my job, am I still blessed? If my friends abandon me, am I still blessed? Was Job still blessed? Being blessed presents one question to be answered: What does God think of You? In the midst of changing life, changing circumstances, God remains good and I remain blessed, if I am defining those qualities in view of the cross. Therefore, my marriage is good because I am blessed, not the other way around. I have a job because I am blessed, not the other way around. When I consider that the blessing, the reconciliation to my Father God, precedes any other goodness, then I continue to be blessed beyond prevailing circumstances. This means I continue to be devoted to the LORD, in the face of loss, pain, chaos, or strife. I continue in my faithfulness to Him, considering myself blessed, even when my hedge is removed.
P) Father, it is such a relief to know that You are a good God. You are trustworthy, praiseworthy, and deserving of my devotion and worship. When questions swirl in my heart, wondering about the details of Your will in my life, or the lives of those I love, I never have to question Your motives. I can trust that Your will is perfectly timed, perfectly purposed, and perfectly good. Your sovereignty and goodness are proven, by my reconciliation to You, which was provided through Jesus. I still ask for the protection of myself, my wife, my kids, and my church. I still ask for other things to go the way I perceive is good. At the same time, though, I fully acknowledge that it may be Your perfectly just, purposed, and good will, to bring hardship into those very same lives, and withhold the things I am asking to have. So, I humbly ask for Your will to be done as well. Open my eyes and ears, for the distinct purpose that I might better glorify Your name, and magnify Your goodness, to proclaim Your gospel truth into the lives of those I love. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment