By Pastor William Y. K. Brown Ph.D
(Resident Pastor)
Seventh-day Adventist Church
Osu-Bethel.
Tel: 0244165628/0243310773.
wykbrown@gmail.com
TUESDAY
THEME: WHAT QUESTIONS WOULD YOU HAVE FOR JOB?
SCRIPTURE: Job 1:21
“And he said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.”
REFLECTIONS:
Imagine you are going through some troublesome times that do not seem to diminish. At the peak of your predicaments and almost losing your faith, you have a dream where you meet Job, who suffered so much and still held on to God; what questions would you ask him about his experience with yours? Would you like to find out how he endured his period of suffering? Would you want to know from him what inspired him to write Job 13:15 – “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. . .” even though he was under severe pain and discomfort? Will you find out why he did not subscribe to his wife’s counsel to curse God and die, knowing that it was a “suitable” counsel for a slowly dying man whose agony was unbearable and his body showing evidence of rottenness and decay? (Job 2:9; 13:28).
Discovering why he was unprepared to doubt God’s love and compassion for him would be encouraging. You would like him to clarify why, under such anguish, he could trust God’s faithfulness, sincerity, trustworthiness, and care for humanity where no relief was in sight. What made him keep his integrity is another inquiry. Job teaches us that there is more to life than comfort. A strong and trusting relationship with God is worth far more than everything humans may wish for. You will discover that Job was a trustworthy, dependable, and selfless friend who would not dismiss or dispense of his loved ones when life seemed unbearable. He possessed the talent, personality traits, and wisdom to be a friend who sticks around even when everybody else is gone.
Job is a man who has given credence to revealing God’s constancy and fulfillment of His promise. He has shown us that God does not desert us when we are in pain, ostracized, deprived, accused, or persecuted – He stands by His people. Further, through his trusting relationship with God, his life vindicated God and glorified His name.
In his struggle, the expression of Job’s faith affirmed the following: i) God is immutable, ii) He is our helper and refuge in times of trouble, iii) perseverance means allowing God to act according to His timetable, iv) God watches and will act in a timeous manner, v) it pays to trust God even if death is in the offing, vi) He will certainly reward those who honor Him by waiting on Him, and vii) Job would not let his faith and confidence in God slip by in the face of adversity or accede to the threat of death, because resurrection is real in God (Job 14:11; 19:25-27). God rewarded Job’s trust in Him (Job 42:10). If we trust and commit to God, He will carefully see us through all adversities and bless us.
MY SONG OF COMMITMENT
“Life is Easy, God of the Mountain” – Lynda Randle
LET US PRAY
– Praise and thank God for His faithfulness; thank Him for standing by you in challenging times; pray for your family and yourself to stick to God despite the odds;
– Pray for your church members and acquaintances to stand and not fret when confronted with desperate situations; pray for youth struggling for employment;
– Intercede for elderly people, aged widows and widowers, people with dementia and their carers; pray for specific challenges in your neighborhood; pray for anyone struggling with sickness;
– Pray for peace and prosperity in the country; pray for the faith of all who are suffering to endure and wait on God; pray for Christians to return to the Bible and share Jesus with the suffering.
