“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.” Job 1:21
Job can be a hard book of the bible to read and understand God’s intentions. At the beginning of the book, we are introduced to Job who “was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil,” (Job 1:1), but as the book progresses, God lets unimaginable hardships happen to his righteous and blameless servant. Throughout the book, he loses everything, including his family, land, animals, and eventually his health. These sufferings would make anyone question God, and that’s exactly what he does, but even with his questioning, he remains faithful.
Job says “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.” (1 :21). Job stays true at heart and praises the Lord through all these horrific events, so God shares some of his wisdom with him. He shows Job how intricate and vast the world is and how his perspective and decisions are infinitely bigger than any of us can comprehend. At the end of the book, we are still left wondering why God allowed bad things to happen to this good person, but we can follow Job’s lead and find a sense of peace in that the weight of orchestrating this complex world with all its decisions, is not on our shoulders.
We can be comforted and humbled by God’s infinite wisdom, and trust that he is still a loving and gracious father. Finally, we learn that God restores everything and more than Job had lost. There are a lot of things we can be unsure about, but through the hard times, we can be sure that God is in control; he will provide, and we will experience bliss with him in heaven one day.
Submitted by Nicole Hamilton
Prayer Dear Heavenly Father,
We are so thankful for your wisdom and unconditional love. Help us to grow closer to you and your wisdom every day, and trust that you know best. Help us to get through the hard times by reminding us that you will provide, and we will have the gift of heaven.
In your name, we pray, amen.