Conclusion
Job 40-42
Do you really think about what you are singing in church on
Sunday morning? Matt Redman has a song called “Blessed Be the Name of the Lord”.
Here is a sample:
Blessed be your name, when the sun’s shining down on me
When the world’s all as it should be, blessed be your name
Blessed be your name, on the road marked with suffering
Though there’s pain in the offering, blessed be your name
Every blessing you pour out, I’ll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord Still I will say "Blessed
be your name"
You give and take away, you give and take away
My heart will choose to say, Lord, blessed be your name
In the book of Job, as in life, attitude is everything! We
miss the point if we seek to find the answer of why there is suffering in the
world. As this song points out, our attitude should be that we will bless the
Lord regardless of our circumstances. If you recall at the very beginning, the
Deceiver/Adversary Satan seeks to assume the nature of Job’s trust in the Lord.
First, it was his possessions. Second, it was his own flesh. We discover that
all along, Job was a man who placed his trust in the Lord with the proper
attitude and perspective he established in Chapter 1 “Naked I came from my
mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken
away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:20-21)
The book of Job is heralded as a book with universal appeal
because of the fact that everyone suffers. But Job is more than a book of
suffering. This is a chronicle of the journey in faith of a man who knew God.
Job provides us with an example of what a proper attitude toward suffering
should look like. If our struggles are handled properly, the suffering will
increase our faith just as Job’s faith was increased in the end. God invites us
into a relationship with Him, so that we can tell Him about our struggles and
draw meaning from them. When we seek answers to the question of suffering, we
are seeking a religion, just like Job’s friends... a religion that had become
their god. But, when we seek to trust in God, despite our circumstances, then
we transcend the intellectual pursuit of God and enter into a fulfilling
relationship with the Creator, Sustainer, Redeemer and Friend of Job.
Lord, Blessed Be Your name!