“Then Job replied to the Lord: I know that you can do anything and no plan of yours can be thwarted,
I had heard reports about you, but now my eyes have seen you.
After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD restored his fortunes and doubled his previous possessions.
So, the LORD blessed the last part of Job’s life more than the first.”
[Job 42:1;5;10;12a CSB]
There were two brothers who grew up on a farm. One went to college and made a name for himself. He earned a law degree and became an attorney with a prominent firm. The other brother remained home and helped his father with the family business. One day the ambitious brother visited and asked his brother, “Why don’t you go out and make a name for yourself? Be somebody in this world so you can hold your head up like me!” The brother replied, “See that field of wheat out there?” His brother responded, “Yes, what about it?” The brother who remained home replied, “Those heads that are most mature and well-filled bend low to the ground. Only the empty heads stand tall.” This is the spiritual lesson that Job learned the hard way. Being bent low before the thrown of God with nowhere to look but up is a good place to be.
We serve a God who is in the turn around business. When we make mistakes, experience misfortune, and commit moral turnovers, God can give us victories after some major defeats. In 2019 you may have encountered issues in your relationships, fractures in your friendships, or sickness in your home. Even though you may have been challenged by your problems, God still has all power. Even though you may be in a predicament right now, God still has a plan for you. Resist the temptation to base God’s character on an isolated issue you are facing in life.
Throughout his ordeal, Job’s Recognition of God was heightened. He gained a deeper realization of God’s wisdom, power, and providential care. His perception of God changed when he began listening to the right voice. In fact, listening to his friends landed him in a messed-up situation. Job’s Restoration of family and fortune occurred when his views about God were corrected. If our view of God is incorrect, our interpretation of our problems and pain will also be imprecise. This all ultimately led to Job’s Rehabilitation of faith in God. Through Job we learn that life’s greatest tragedies are designed to be a preparation for future blessings because the LORD blessed the finish of Job’s life more than the first.
Years ago, an angry man rushed through the Rijks Museum in Amsterdam until he reached Rembrandt’s famous painting ‘Nightwatch”. Then he took out a knife and slashed it repeatedly before he could be stopped. A short time later, a distraught hostile man slipped into St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rome with a hammer and began to smash Michelangelo’s sculpture The Pieta. Two cherished works of art had been severely damaged in a short period of time. But what did officials do? Throw them out? Forget them? Absolutely not! Using the best experts who worked with utmost care and precision, they made every effort to restore the treasures.
God can bring good out of our failures, misfortunes, and life fumbles. His best blessings are still to come. You have Nowhere to Look but Up in 2020!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
