Day 233

Job 1:1-3:26; 1 Corinthians 14:1-17; Psalm 37:12-29; Proverbs 21:25-26

All About the Attitude!

I heard a preacher once say, “You can talk about suffering, but until you’re eating Ramen Noodles for dinner every night @ 3 for $.99 you don’t know what suffering is.” His point was that it is easy to praise God when all is well, but is it easy to praise God when nothing is easy?

No doubt Job’s life has been quoted by many as they go through tough trials and tribulations. While I certainly can sympathize with those who make this reference, I have yet to meet a modern-day Job. There are many who have had a rough time with the economy but none quite like Job. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying there are not people who could give Job a run for his money, but his story seems to have the edge over all I hear.

A quick recap of the first three chapters shows us that Job was upright in the sight of the Lord, and within what appears to be a few minutes, his entire life is turned upside down. He is informed by a messenger that all of his servants excluding the one telling him have been killed along with two consecutive messages that all of his livestock are dead. While the final message of the death of his livestock is still being relayed, he is informed that all of his children are now dead… This just got real, and it did so very quickly! The man God has just bragged about in the presence of the angels and Satan has now been allowed to experience the worst possible scenario ever. Why?

Because God had a plan! Job had no idea what it was or how bad his life would get, but God had a plan. In the best of times and the worst of times, God has a plan. We as people doubt that at times. We think that life’s ups and downs seem to knock God off His throne as though He didn’t expect it to happen. It looks like the furthest thing from a plan but look at Job’s response… “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” It became about an attitude of worship to the Lord in Job’s life.

Do we worship the Lord in the good and bad? That doesn’t mean we can’t get real with God in our conversation, but it does mean that we trust God in full worship no matter what our circumstances.

Will you stand as Job did and say, “Blessed be the name of the LORD”?

The Rev. Wes Sharp