Job #2

Okay - I just finished reading Job ch. 10 this morning. I have to say I have been a little disappointed with the last few chapters. It has been dialogue between Job and 3 of his friends who came to "console" him in his misery.

But, I had a breakthrough revelation after reading ch. 10 this morning. I wish I could credit myself with what I learned, but it really was from Philip Yancy. My Bible has these devotionals scattered throughout and today's was over ch. 10. Here are some of the points that he made that I found fascinating:

First, Job suffered a crises of FAITH not of suffering. - we have all gone thru times like these - like, for instance, a friend with a terminal illness, or the loss of a job, so we ask? "Why God?" Or "Why him?" or "Why me?"

Yancey says, "At such times we focus too easily on circumstances - illness, poverty, bad luck - as the enemy. We pray for God to change those circumstances. If only God would change these circumstances, then I could easily believe God. Job teaches, though, that we need faith most at the precise moment when it seems impossible."

Second, (still quoting Yancy) "... the view behind the curtain in chs. 1-2 reveals that Job was being exalted, not spurned. God was letting his own reputation ride on the response of a single human being. At the time when Job felt most abandoned, at that very time God was giving him personal, almost microscopic scrutiny.God seemed absent; in one sense God had never been more present.

Third - (Yancy) - "Job convinces me that God cares more about our faith than our pleasure."
I've also read where Rick Warren said, "God cares more about our character than our comfort."

So, these were all pretty interesting points I thought. Especially where he points out that Job was actually being EXALTED! It kind of turns your thought process around thinking about this. If you are going through something hard maybe satan is watching and waiting for you to fail! And maybe God is telling satan that you won't! HMMMM..........food for thought, huh?