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Do you feel as though you are being plagued with trials? You are not alone, and there is hope for you—wonderful hope! You can find a message of hope right in God’s love letter to you, His holy word, in the book of Job.
In Job 1:6 and on, we find the "sons of God" in some kind of meeting with the Lord. Evidently, chief members of His creation from all over the universe were gathering together. It even says that Satan was there to present himself also! God asked Satan where he came from, and Satan replied, "From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it." God asked Satan if he had noticed Job with his strong character and his strong faith in God. Satan, as he has done since his fall, questioned God saying, "Does Job fear you for nothing?" It has always been Satan’s goal to cause God’s own creation to question Him—to stir up rebellion in their hearts. Thus that is the core cause of sin in our world, THUS the cause of suffering and sorrows. God’s way is perfect and righteous—anything apart or different from His way leads to destruction. We live in a world—the only sin-filled world—that is seeing the natural consequence of sin—death (suffering, struggles, trials).
Satan charged that man could not love God in a true relationship, but only loved Him because He provided for them and gave them what they wanted and needed—that it was a "love" out of necessity—a mechanical love. He didn’t believe God’s creation of man could worship and obey God out of true love because they trusted Him and His wisdom—but that they too would curse Him and question Him (as he had done himself). So God allowed Satan to control Job’s environment, "Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth you hand on him." (Notice, even though Satan had power to attack Job, God was STILL in control…never forget that GOD is in control.).
So Satan used his power to destroy Job’s possessions—even the lives of his family members were not left untouched. But rather than questioning God, Job knew God and trusted His wisdom. Verse 6:21, 22 reads, "And he said, ‘Naked I come from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.’ Through all this, Job did not sin nor did he blame God." Look at that! He even praised God in the midst of his troubles!
Still Satan wanted to test man’s loyalty and trust in his Creator. He wanted to turn Job from God. In Job 2, the "sons of God" gathered for another meeting, and again Satan was there. Again God asks Satan if he has noticed Job’s unwavering integrity. And it is interesting to read in verse 3 that Job was not suffering for anything he had done. The words written are, "…to ruin him without cause." We all live in this world filled with sin—righteous and unrighteous alike. Just because we sometimes are allowed to feel the result of sin, does not mean we are being punished for something (The rain falls on the good and the bad alike, remember?)! If we got what we deserved for our sins, we would all be dead (because the Word of God tells us the punishment of sin is death—Romans 6:23). Also, we must remember from reading verse three that the original war was not here on earth. It started in heaven between God and Satan. We can see it still going on here in the first chapters of Job when Satan was charging God and vice versa.
God allowed Satan to have his way with Job’s body. Soon he began to suffer from excruciating sores. Did Job curse God? Satan spoke through the words of Job’s own wife in trying to turn him from God, but in verse 2:10, Job is still holding fast to God, trusting Him in His infinite wisdom. Did things get better for job then? NO, certainly not! Rather, they got worse! He even began wishing he had never been born. Then his friends, in their own wisdom, try to explain to Job why he was struck with such misfortune--trying to reason it all out, when God clearly had told Satan he was doing it without reason. Then as we read on in chapter 9, Job is going through the same kind of thoughts we often ponder when afflicted with trials. He is blaming His afflictions on God, when we read earlier that it was Satan doing what God allowed him to do. In verse 14, Job sees how mortal he is, and grieves that man has only one life to live (seemingly, his is about over). In verse 23:2, even Job realizes that his questioning God is "rebellion" (which Satan is the author of).
In Chapter 38 and 39 of Job, we find God’s reproval of Job. When Job realizes that he does not possess the wisdom to understand these things and that He should have trusted in Him who IS infinite wisdom, he realizes that he is not the "big picture" but rather just a part of it—he realizes that he had been a fool not to see outside of his own suffering. "Behold, I am insignificant; what can I reply to Thee?" he answered. "I lay my hand on my mouth." In chapter 42, Job confesses that he just does not understand, therefore he should have trusted God, "…therefore I have declared that which I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know." "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally and without reproach; and it shall be given him." James 1:5
Like Job, we do not understand. We cannot even fathom God’s wisdom. We must remember that there is more to the goings on of this world than what happens to our bodies or jobs or whatever it is, "for our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of darkness, against spiritual forces of this wickedness in the heavenly places." (Ephesians 6:12). God tell us not to fear death, but the death of the soul. We are in spiritual warfare, and in Ephesians 6:10-20, God tells us how to be strong. We must be strong spiritually! This world can take away our wealth, our family, or bodies, but God will raise us up into eternal life at his second coming (read 1 Thessalonians 4:12-18) if we just stay faithful to Him.
The Bible is full of stories about God’s people going through trials and tribulations. Jesus even told His disciples to expect them, "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer; for I have overcome the world." (John 16:33) This verse really is the key. Our peace is not in the world—rather it will get worse for this reason, "…because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time." (Revelation 12:12). God has never told us our time on this earth would be easy as far as trials go. "Is a servant greater than his master?" was the question Jesus asked His disciples. Satan wanted to destroy our Lord, and so he wishes to destroy what is His—US!
"That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus." (1 Peter 1:7). Gold, as it is tried in the fire, becomes more pure. So do we—at least that is our potential. The decision is ours. God can turn our trials into something good. He can work on our characters when we realize just how much we need Him. When we have loved ones who are sick or hurting, when we see suffering in distant lands, or when we ourselves are struggling to hang on, we usually find ourselves leaning on God like never before (if not, we should)! He can use this to strengthen our relationship with Him, to channel His Holy Spirit to others (we are to be co-workers with Jesus), to humble us, to teach us patience, trust, benevolence, etc. And if God, in His infinite love and wisdom, wills to heal us or deliver us from our trial(s), then we can thank Him and praise Him with thankful hearts. But even if He does not, we can still praise Him and thank Him for His goodness to us, "for that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
I like the way my favorite author, Ellen White, puts how our attitudes should be towards service to God and trials, "He (man) realizes that he is but an instrument, and that he must be passive in the Master’s hands. Trials come to him; for unless thus tested, he would never know his lack of wisdom and experience. But if he seeks the Lord with humility and trust, every trial will work for his good. He may sometimes seem to fail, but his apparent failure may be God’s way of bringing him true advancement, and may mean a better knowledge of himself and a firm trust in Heaven… He becomes stronger to resist evil, and others reap benefit from his example."
We must remember that God loves us now more than He has ever loved us or ever will—despite our imperfections. Remembering this, we must realize that God does not make us sick because we sin or cause us grief when we backslide, but rather those are all results of this sinful world we are living in (Satan has his way now). Our rewards, whether good or bad, will be on the day when Jesus comes and raises the living and the dead. There are those who will be resurrected first (the righteous) and those who will be resurrected after those (the wicked), each to their reward (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, John 6:39,40).
We also need to remember that, just like the three Hebrews who were thrown into the fiery furnace for choosing God’s way above man’s, God is with us in the midst of the flames. Every time we are hurting and struggling, He is right there with us—He feels our pain, because we are written on the very palms of His hands. When God’s children suffer, HE SUFFERS TOO! He does not leave our sides. He longs for us to have life where the result of sin cannot be seen—"life more abundantly" (John 10:10).
God wants us to come to Him when we are troubled and trust in His infinite wisdom because He loves us. "Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you." 1 Peter 5:7
"Cast Thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved." Psalm 55:22
"There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape that ye may be able to bear it." 1 Corinthians 10:13
"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." John 14:27
"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." Psalm 46:1
It is not until heaven is re-established on earth after sin has been eradicated from the earth that we can expect to say good-bye to suffering and trials forever, but God has promised His children that this day will come. Revelation 21:4 reads, "and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."
Our faith… "This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith." (1 John 5:4). "It is faith that enables us to look beyond the present, with its burdens and cares, to the great hereafter, where all that now perplexes us shall be made plain. Faith sees Jesus standing as our Mediator at the right hand of God. Faith beholds the mansions that Christ has gone to prepare for the overcomer, and hears the song of the redeemed." This is how Ellen White wrote about faith. To me, it is a beautiful passage. Sometimes we just don’t understand our trials and we have a hard time seeing the good in them, but our faith helps us to look past ourselves and this present time and to see what REAL victory looks like—what REAL LIFE looks like, and that life and victory is in Jesus Christ and with Jesus in heaven! No reward here on earth is greater than the one in heaven, and we are assured of this in Romans 8:18, "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us."
We must chose GOD! We must choose Him even in what seems the midst of the most unbearable trials and heartbreak, we must look to Him and rejoice that we have a hope and we can trust Him. So take courage! And then remember that many out there still do not know that hope, which is Jesus Christ!