Accepted by Job's God

I have been reading the book of Job for the past little while in my devotions. To tell you the truth Job has never been one of my favorite books. To me it has always been a hard-to-understand book. This time through, though, things began to make a little more sense to me.

One of the things that always bothered me about Job was his despair, his feeling that God wasn't anywhere around to help him, and his wish that he had never been born. To me that all just didn't add up to my standard of the way I thought a Christian should feel or talk. Now I feel more of a kinship to Job. There are times we don't feel that God is working, there are times we see no purpose in our lives and times when despair is as good as it gets.

After I had read about 10 chapters of Job, I had to turn to the back of the book to see how it all turned out even though I "knew" things got better and "he lived happily ever after." I needed to see the words, how it was written. I read the verse "...the Lord also accepted Job." (42:9b)
As I read that verse I realized that God really does understand all those "not so Christian" emotions and feelings of despair and questioning. Job had them and God accepted Job. God hasn't changed. He still accepts us when despair is all we see and the doubts and questions come crowding in. I'm not saying that we get to continue to live with despair, but that God does understand. He is the Almighty. He doeth all things well. We have to learn to trust Him.

In Jeremiah 31:3 it says, "The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee." Then in Psalm 40:5 we read, "Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to usward...." As we keep these two Scriptures in mind we find in Job 23:13 & 14 Job speaking. He says, "But He is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul desireth, even that he doeth. For he performeth the thing that is appointed for me: and many such things are with him." God desires to draw us near to Him. His thoughts are toward us. He will do what He desires. He knows what plan and purpose He has appointed for us. He knows what it will take for us to understand Him better. What it will take for us to see the Almighty God for who He is. If it takes dire circumstances, with despair, He will bring that into our life. His desire is to usward. He longs for a real relationship with us. He is the one with the eternal perspective. We are not. As Job, who couldn't really see beyond the day or the moment in his suffering, we still must hold onto the knowledge that "He knoweth the way that I take.." (23:10) Our trust must be as stalwart as Job's. "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him:" (13:15) Job's heart rending questions were not answered. "And where is now my hope? as for my hope, who shall see it?" (17:15) " Oh that I knew where I might find him! that I might come even to his seat!" (23:3) Though Job's despair and overwhelming attitude of grief were very real, he still had within Him a longing for God and His ways. This longing is what God saw. He saw that amidst his trouble Job's heart was still surrendered. Yes, there were bitter compaints, and the all-consuming emotional heartache of God not answering or intervening in his situation. More importantly though, there was that knowledge that came to the top every so often "For I know that my redeemer liveth,"(19:25)

As I continue to read the book of Job, it is comforting to know, that though I cannot see His hand, I can trust His heart because His thoughts are to usward. We, the people of his heart, are His desire.

"According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love; Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved."
Ephesians 1:4 - 6