Job: The Calm Amid the Storm

“Laissez les bons temps rouler” is Cajun French for “Let the good times roll.” When they do, a good time is had by all. Reality is they don’t always, not for anybody, regardless of their appearance, not even for good godly people. Job was a man who “was blameless and upright, and a man who feared God and shunned evil.” (Job 1:1) Yet, he lost every possession and his health.

There is no record of him whining “Why me, God?” His three responses are worth noting and emulating in the good, and yes, bad time.

Before considering Job’s responses, observe Satan was bringing charges against him before God. As if He didn’t know “…the Lord said to Satan, ‘From where do you come?’ So Satan answered the Lord and said, ‘From going to and from on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.’” (Job 1:7) That fact disproves the misconception that Satan is in hell. He is instead commuting between earth and heaven. That is why so many productive prominent Christians fail. They have been the objects of Satan’s hatred and he designs their destruction. He isn’t in hell, but you can be assured he is hell bound.

Satan said to God, Job doesn’t love you, he just loves the things you have given him. Take them away and “he will curse you to your face.” (Job 1:11). Remember the situation. Job has become the object of Satan’s attacks under the mysterious permission of the sovereign Lord. His children are dead, his wife has deserted him, his home and his business lie in ruins, his health has collapsed; he’s left sitting in the ashes of his former life, mourning and pouring out his confusion before God as he scrapes the sores on his skin with broken potsherds. He is suffering grievously physically, financially and emotionally. How will Job respond?

First, he said, “I know my Redeemer lives….” (Job 19:25) He had confidence in the Lord and never thought He was out of control.

There is an important sidebar truth here. People sometimes ask how people were saved before Jesus’ death and resurrection. Visualize the cross as a point in time. Since then persons have been saved by looking back historically to the cross. Before the cross persons were saved by faithfully looking forward to what the cross achieved. The Book of Job is the oldest book in the Bible and Job was in faith looking forward to his Redeemer.

Second, He knows me. Job confidently said, “He knows the way I take.” (Job 23:10) Job was assured God was not unaware of his plight and loved him. God knows what is going on. He is never insensitive to us and our needs. 

Third, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.” (Job 13:15) His strong resolve sustained Job and God ultimately restored him.

Imagine Satan is standing before God with an accusation and the topic of discussion is you. Satan is saying that person doesn’t love you, they just love the things you give them. Take them away and they will want to curse you and die. How would you respond?

All of us have losses, defeats, injuries and sickness. We will have others. Be sure that when you do, you have the same resolve as Job. No whining allowed. No, why me.

Job knew he might die, he actually wanted to. He had faith death was not the end. He compares life to a tree: “For there is hope for a tree if it be cut down that it will sprout again, and that its shoots will not cease.” (Job 14:7)

A tree is cut down, but sprouts again from the root. Job is confident that if he dies he will live again with the Lord. Make sure you will also.

The God Who Is With You

“Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10)

Paradigm is a beautiful word meaning an example or pattern. Our Lord has set before us an example to be used as a pattern.

If you want His peace and provisions you must guard against two “nots” noted in Isaiah 41:10. They lurk in the shadows of the pages of your calendar to rob you of the joy inherent in salvation.

God commands, “Fear not …Be not dismayed…” That is to be our pattern. God always supplies what He commands. In light of this, Augustine wrote this prayer: 

“Give what you command, and command what you will.”

God is not going to command us to do something without enabling it to be done. Keep that in mind as you consider–

“Fear not…”  This speaks of dread.

Fear is the child of doubt. Therefore, it is never a companion of faith. To have a life free of fear we must have a life in which our faith grows. It does so by trusting and obeying God. That is, acting upon His commands and promises even when the world suggests you not, or even threatens to shout you down if you do.

“Be not dismayed…”  This speaks of discouragement.

“Be not dismayed,” actually means don’t quit.

If you look back at your failures you will be tempted to quit.

If you look around at circumstances you will be inclined to quit.

If you look to Christ you will not be dismayed, you won’t quit.

In the text, for each of the two nots there is an “I am.”

“I am with you…”

He is ever present with us to fulfill all that is implied in the name Immanu-El, meaning, “God with us.”

Living, loving hands may be forced to release ours, but our Lord will perpetually be with us. A vacant chair may appear in our friendship circle, but our Lord will never leave us.

We can smile amid life’s storms if we know He is with us.

“I am your God…”

In our day there is an inordinate desire to know the future. Various self-proclaimed prophets, seers, crystal ball and card readers, and horoscopes proliferate that will allegedly tell us the future. All are of no value. 

This unreasonable desire to know the future is a symptom revealing that persons don’t know or trust the God who holds the future. This misguided drive has always been part of man’s base nature.

His power is revealed in His name: “I am your God.” The title used by Isaiah and translated “God” is “Elah” or “Eloah.”  “El” means “the strong one.” “Elah” speaks of His durability. It was also used to speak of binding oneself with an oath; it speaks of faithfulness.

Therefore, the God who has promised to be with you is the Strong Durable One who has bound Himself to you with an oath. Rejoice and relax in His grace.

Why Galilee

“Then he went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath began to teach the people. They were amazed at his teaching, because his message had authority.” (Luke 4:31-32)

Questions persist as to why Jesus spent most of His time in Galilee rather than Jerusalem and even Athens, or Rome.

First, He visited Jerusalem only rarely because He knew of the hostility provided Him by the establishment religious leaders. He was accepted in Galilee and His message could be more openly shared there. The fact He taught in the synagogues of Galilee, especially His home town of Nazareth, attest to the fact of His deity, for no person born out of wedlock could even go into a synagogue. However, Jesus didn’t restrict his teaching to the synagogue like other rabbis. He took his ministry to the people. 

The government of Galilee was more tolerant also. Galilee at the time of Jesus, on the west side of the lake, was under the control of the Tetrarch, Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great.  

The local population was more open to Him because of there being no pious religious leaders there. Religious Jews shunned Tiberias because it was built on top of a cemetery. This made it “unclean” under Jewish law.

A few miles south-east of Tiberias, toward the outlet of the Sea of Galilee are the hot springs of Hammat Tiberias that today, as in that day, are visited by persons seeking healing. The Roman Aesclepius cult members practiced soaking in hot baths and fasting in order to try to get healed. 

Two things made the Galilee Grand Central Station of the day. The springs attracted many people from distant lands.

However, there is a more meaningful reason for Galilee being the crossroads between three continents. Two major caravan routes, the Via Mara and the King’s Highway both cross there. Having traveled through deserts, the caravans came there for the fresh water from the Sea of Galilee.

Galilee was populated not only by Jews, but also Gentiles: Greeks, Romans, Arabs,  Phoenicians, and others. In that sense they were rural, yet cosmopolitan. 

Near the end of Jesus’ ministry some Greeks came there seeking Him in hopes of attracting Him to come to Athens. Doubtless members of caravans that had passed there went home to Athens and told them of Jesus. His message spread to other regions from there. Had He centered His ministry there would not have been such a diverse audience.

All of these factors made Galilee the most logical place for Jesus to minister. In your life, as in the selection of the location of Galilee for Jesus ministry, God’s wisdom was at work. Ask Him to guide you through life.

Life Beyond the Comma

Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10)

Let’s look at that closely, “I have come that you might have life, (comma) and that you might have it more abundantly.” He wants to enable us to live beyond the “comma.” 

Some Christians tend to envy people that are living “the good life” and missing the abundant life. Some have even bought into the “prosperity gospel” without embodying abundant life. In reality the prosperity gospel and people who are living the good life have been detracted from abundant life. The truth is one can enjoy abundant life without having the good life or the fulfillment promised by the prosperity gospel. Abundant life has nothing to do with the amount of “stuff”one has. It has everything to do with a personal life with Jesus Christ and the provision of eternal life He enables.

Living beyond the comma involves:

Enjoyment, not just existence.

Beyond the comma life is vastly bigger, braver, and nobler once we become adherent followers of Christ. 

Relationship, not just reformation.

Life beyond the comma, which Christ called “abundant life,” means wrestling with powers and principalities and mastering them through the power of Jesus Christ. It isn’t a tame colorless round of trivialities.

Abundant life means to be full of moral energy that throws off temptation like a healthy body throws off disease germs. Life beyond the comma is —–

Fellowship, not just friendship.

This PLUS living is living with another. That one is Christ. 

Psychologists say human beings have three desires: the longing to be accepted, approved, and appreciated.

We are created in the image of God, that is, His likeness. This means God likes to be accepted, approved, and appreciated. Provide Him such, and He will provide you the same.

Life beyond involves devotion, not just duty.

Duty may produce diligence, but devotion produces dynamism. 

Life beyond the comma, that is, abundant life, is life beyond the cross.

A relationship with Christ is intended to produce people who are richly alive, ablaze with an inward fire which ignites real living. To live the abundant life seek first the kingdom of God, that is, it is found not in things, but obedience

The big thing about the abundant life is you gain things that eye has not seen and ear has not heard, which have not entered into the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him. (1 Cor. 2:9).

Preparation for Life Beyond the Stone

Job 7:16; 10:20; 13:15 & 16

Jesus wants to enable you to avoid the empty life syndrome. He wants to energize you and enable you to live the abundant life. That is, He wants to fill your life with purpose as only He can. 

When the world wants to trash you, He wants to renew you.

Even if you feel as though you are walking down psychopath, in the shade of psychiatry, on your way to psycottage, He can revitalize you.

When life turns bitter and meaning is lost, Jesus ambitiously awaits you to offer guidance to a brighter future. 

Do you have a high view of what it means to live?

In the Old Testament, the oldest book in the Bible, Job, chronicles the mental pilgrimage of a man who evaluated life at three stages. His life became a bundle of big burdens. He became a mere miserable shadow of his one-time greatness and opulence. Let’s look at those stages and see which represents you.

LIFE IS EMPTY (Job 7:16)

To his detractors who came to visit. Job cried out: “I loathe my life … let me alone.” Life became so bitter he became a classic manic depressive.

William James, the great psychologist and philosopher, wrote:

“Nothing we ever do is in the strict scientific literalness wiped out. Down among your nerve cells and fibers, the molecules are counting it, registering and scoring it up to be used against you when the next temptation comes. Could the young but realize how soon they will become walking bundles of habits. We are spinning our own fates, good or evil. We are imitators and copiers of our past selves.” Don’t try to live on sensual standard time and not expect a clock stoppage.

LIFE IS ENDING (10:20)

Often before we realize the value of time most of it has passed us. Years accelerate as they increase. Job said, “My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle…”  He had come to realize time flies.

We lose perspective. To us today is always commonplace. It is yesterday that is beautiful. It is tomorrow when all things seem possible.

Scripture appeals to us to “Redeem the time.” (Ephesians 5:16)

LIFE IS ETERNAL (Job 13:15 & 16)

Job eventually got things in their proper perspective and concluded that life was eternal, therefore, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him…”

The following timely warning sounds morbid, but it is joyous if you know where you will spend eternity beyond the stone.

“Just think! some night the stars will gleam
Upon a cold, grey stone,
And trace a name with silver beam,
And lo! ‘twill be your own.”