“A Lifestyle of Trust”

Tuesday, May 12, 2020

BIBLE READING: Job 11

“If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away, and let not injustice dwell in your tents. Surely then you will lift up your face without blemish; you will be secure and will not fear.” (Job 11.14-15)

God’s people often found themselves in bad circumstances because they made sinful choices (i.e. Judges 2.11-16). Hence the prophets’ refrain of ‘return to God and he will return to you’ (see 2 Chronicles 7.14, Zechariah 1.3, and Malachi 3.7). Certainly, where sin is present and known, it must be acknowledged and exposed before a relationship with God is possible (James 4.8). 

But this is not the case with Job. He had no willful sin (see Job 1-2). He practiced what he preached (Job 4.3; 6.28-30) by continually acknowledging his weakness before God (Job 9.19-20) and cultivating a lifestyle of humility and repentance (Job 1.5). Although Zophar’s admonition is predicated on the cause and effect principle, it doesn’t take into account that one can’t always know the cause. That knowledge is exclusive to God (Job 11.7-10). 

The feeble attempts of these men to make sense of the situation demonstrates human limitations and highlights some things we must remember: 

1. We learn the plight of life and suffering through experience. Life is temporal and fleeting. All good will end in this life, ultimately at death. God’s grace allows for reprieve, but it is not the end game (Ecclesiastes 5.16-20; Job 6.13). Job’s comforts were taken away to build trust and broaden his vision. I fear we sometimes decry his suffering without appreciating God’s purpose: He is developing trust and longing for better things. 

2. “God tests the righteous” (Psalm 11.5). God told Abraham to kill Isaac (Genesis 22.1-2). He sought to kill Moses after he called him to lead Israel (Exodus 4.24). All great people of faith were challenged by God’s calling because it was often contrary to what was natural.  If your faith doesn’t cause you stress and struggle, God may not feel like you’re ready to be tested. 

3. Present circumstances do not define God’s grace towards us (Matthew 5.45). Sometimes the wicked prosper and righteous suffer (Psalm 73). “Time and chance happen to everyone” (Ecclesiastes 9.11). “For everything there is a season” (Ecclesiastes 3).  God’s promises play out over time and so we must learn patience and develop trust in every season. 

Job wrestled with the realities of life, but he did not lose faith or become ambivalent in his efforts to turn from sin. His story highlights our need to press God during difficult times and lean into what God has revealed and promised. When we don’t understand why things are happening, we must be willing to dig deeply into our hearts and put our feet on the rock of God (Psalm 18.31). This can be hard and exhausting but is the only way to cultivate what God desires to create in us: a lifestyle of trust motivated by hope. 

“Do not throw away your confidence which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.” (Hebrews 10.35-36)

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