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Then Job answered the Lord and said:
“I know that you can do all things
and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.”
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If you’ve read the story of Job before, you already know what God was doing. You know. I know. But Job and his friends didn’t. The whole time they pondered this situation, they were looking at it while in the battlefield of life—not from above. But we as readers are allowed to see the bigger picture.

Job changes our perspective about those times when our tears get triggered.

When you are hurting with tears and wondering why God would let you go through this circumstance, think of Job, how he struggled with the same questions, and how throughout the entire book of Job, you knew something about Job’s situation that he didn’t know.

That might help you think about your circumstances differently, like a story, like a book that’s about to be written just as a book was written about Job. Think of what that author sees in your life–the big picture.

If you trust your Author, like Job trusted God, you will be able to overcome your circumstances.

Job lost everything, but never lost sight of how perfect God is!

Job’s friends first listened and prayed over him. Did you feel that love when tragedy first struck? People gathered at the funeral and many stayed in your life to comfort you. But then Job’s friends got impatient with Job’s continued problems. They started to ask Job what he did to deserve such calamity in his life.

Can you relate? It’s one thing when you first lose your husband, but when the fallout from doing life alone becomes a reality, do you hear some friends hinting that maybe you’re not trusting God enough? That’s almost as infuriating as a friend reacting to your husband’s heart attack by saying things like “I better start watching my husband’s diet.’ It’s as though you could have prevented your husband’s heart attack if only you had cooked more healthy meals!

Job searches himself and can’t find fault that would warrant such calamity.

I hope you have not felt like you had to search yourself for the causes of your circumstances. People die every day, and your circumstance has nothing to do with your actions.

Once Job was completely sure he did nothing to deserve all that happened, he starts to ask God why. But we as the readers of Job already know why.

We knew, but Job and his friends didn’t.

The writer of Job pulls back the curtain to show us the conversations God has with Satan. Satan approaches God and tells God, “See Job over there? I bet he’s only following You because he’s got it so good. Take away the goodies, and I bet he’ll curse You.”

God then allows Satan to have his way with Job…. for the glory of God…

Job suffered because his suffering became an illustration to the rest of mankind that we worship and follow the one and only God Almighty, not because of the goodies He gives us, but because of Who He is! And our worship of Him is not connected to our circumstances.

God never spells out to Job the reason why!

You as the reader of Job know that Satan requested that God test Job, But God doesn’t let Job in on what happened. Why doesn’t He? How encouraging that would have been to Job!

Why doesn’t God tell you why you are having to go through all of these challenges?

Faith comes before knowledge of your purpose

If God would have described to Job the conversations He had with Satan over the righteousness of Job, then Job would have understood and had faith in God because he had knowledge, not true faith.

Lord, please help our sisters trust You. We don’t know Your purpose, but we can trust it. Maybe You want us to bring kids up for the kingdom of God! Maybe You want us to submit to a new Christian husband. Maybe You want us to help other widows. Help us, Lord, rise above the circumstance. You have plans for us–big plans. Amen.