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| JAMES LESSON #68 READ James 5:11 What was the �endurance� of Job like? He started out rich � I mean MAJOR rich- His riches were taken away from him. He �gloried� in his humiliation. He never gave up his faith. His friends told him he wasn�t righteous � God said he was. Job didn�t turn his back on God when things got tough. How did the story end? Was God �reliable?� Was God �faithful?� Did God really �care?� Man � it sure didn�t look like it�Job begins to question � yes � this �man of God� did wrestle with doubt. God gives him his say � but then it�s God�s turn to talk. Scan down through Job chapters 38-41. What�s God doing in those chapters? Up until this point where has Job�s �focus� been? On what he�s seeing- On what he�s hearing- On what�s happening around and �to� him. What�s God doing here? God�s REMINDING Job of who Job is not- and God is REMINDING Job of who He is. God has used this whole ordeal to accomplish something � what is it? Look at Job 42:2,5 Ok God � I get it now. I had it all learned in my head. I had all the answers memorized for the test. But now I�ve LIVED IT � and because I�ve LIVED IT�It�s a part of me..I understand now �WITH MY HEART.� I now know you WITH MY HEART � NOT MY HEAD. Why? Job had no option but to �depend� � and it was through �depending� that God came through and came through and came through - over and over and over you see God�s reliability � God�s faithfulness..you say �Where?� First, let me ask you a question. Did Job end up bitter? Did he end up full of resentment? Did he end up deciding he�d never talk to his buddies again? Did he ditch his wife in the process..after all, she messed over him too. What happened to Job �relationally� in this picture? Did God require anything of him in the area of �relationships?� When you read the story, his friends deserve a pretty good smack up side the head�what was God�s requirement? Look at Job 42:5-10. When did God bail Job out of the mess? When did things start to turn around? When did the journey take a MAJOR shift in direction? What were the order of events. We�re familiar with the hit after hit after hit battle that happened- then betrayal after betrayal after betrayal happened � then Job began to doubt and question � then God reminded Job of who Job was not � then God reminded Job of who He was � and Job did what? Humbled himself and owned truth: that God indeed was sovereign � His ways were just � and Job RECOGNIZED WITH HIS HEART � that God indeed, was God � not only of what surrounded Job � but of Job�s heart. At that point Job REPENTS � deeply. Then what�s God do? God SENDS the very ones who had betrayed Job TO Job and asks that Job do what? PRAY FOR THEM. Here you see a complete circle of reconciliation. GET THAT. When God does a work of �reconciliation� it�s not just about your heart and His. It�s about your heart and those closest to you. God not only deals with the heart of Job in this picture, but He also deals with the hearts that surround Job. He SENDS them to the very person they bad mouthed � humbles them by telling them that the only way they aren�t going to �GET IT� from Him is if they go and offer a burnt offering (a voluntary one- that symbolizes purification) �asking that Job pray for them. Can you imagine? Stick yourself in this story. You�ve been handed a very raw deal. It�s gone on and on and on. In the process God reveals Himself to you. Your best friends bad mouth you � your spouse works you over verbally � you begin to question � you begin to drown in doubt � God steps in � declares Himself and says � ok..now that you get it, pray for these people who�ve messed over you. Hello? So here they come � God�s sent them- they are groveling at your feet�nice power moment wouldn�t you say? Wrong- you�re so aware of the authority of God that you wouldn�t DARE be arrogant in that moment. Your response? You begin to pray. You see forgiveness happening in two directions here � at that point, God steps in and begins to bless the socks off of Job. Why? Because Job prayed? Nope. Because Job�s heart responded in obedience to God�s direction. God made sure that Job�s heart didn�t harbor resentment- bitterness- hate- hurt�God made sure, by demanding out of Job what only a broken and submitted heart could give � obedience at any cost. Pray for the ones who messed over you� What is your �reaction� when you�ve been bad mouthed. Do you set a course of action to �correct what�s been said?� Do you become driven to �justify� yourself? Making sure that nobody sees you the way the accusations paint you? Do you mount a counter attack � blasting them back with your mouth? Man oh man oh man have I ever seen this in divorce situations � and the pawns in the game? The children. Mom says this about dad. Dad turns around and says this about mom. Why? Insecurity. The need for control screams � �Be on my side!� -how is that accomplished? Create the verbal picture that the other party is the scum of the earth. The result? One highly damaged child � who could never choose..because regardless of the irresponsible choices of mom and dad..mom and dad will always be mom and dad. Do you �pray� for those that are saying things behind your back? The spouse that just walked out the door? The employer who just fired you? The kid that just bad mouthed you to the wall? The best friend who just betrayed you to someone else? Job keeps hammering away at the area of endurance � �Endurance why?� We looked at that before�but to take it deeper still you have to look at the steps in the final stages of Job�s story. If Job had �not� endured � If he�d turned and walked away � what would he have lost? First thing that comes to mind would have been � all the good stuff God blessed him with at the end of the story. A double portion of everything. It�s so much deeper than that. Job would have spent the rest of his life in �head knowledge� � only knowing �about� God � never truly encountering and knowing God. Job would have never come to the �end of Job� � and discovered the beginning of �relationship� with God. Job would have never had the opportunity to recognize HIS NEED for God � and would never have repented. Job would have never had the opportunity to pray blessing into the lives of his friends � gaining �real� relationships with them � deeper ones � ones focused around �gratitude.� And with that, Job would have never gained back what was lost in the area of children and material well being. THAT is a lot to miss out on. Why endure? Because �knowing God� is the product - Experiencing His reliability. Experiencing His sufficiency. Experiencing His faithfulness. �and being in awe �THAT, is why you endure. Think Job thought about that in the middle of the agony when absolutely NOTHING made sense at all? Nope. He couldn�t � why? Because He was in a process � one like you�re in � the process of seeing your heart as it is � and encountering God�s. As you go through whatever the trial is that God�s allowing � ask Him to remind you of who He is � to clarify who you�re not- repent of what you�ve been � and own the treasure of knowing Him with your heart. Whatever He calls you to do in your situation, do it without hesitation � and release the �joint effort opportunity� into active performance. Don�t go through the trial and come out empty � Don�t go through the trial and come through bitter, disappointed, and resentful. What�s the point? You�re going to go through the trial..one way or another. YOU determine the end of the story. Remember that God never called you to be �successful� � He called you to �surrender.� It�s in the �surrender� that you will find success - the success? Knowing Him � not merely knowing �about Him.� More tomorrow, Loving You, Robin �Copyright 2001 Jim and Robin Hibschman |
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