This morning I was reading Job 42 and a series of other scriptures that gave encouragement to trust that God will restore you after your period of suffering. Job, of course, is a pinnacle example of this. After Job suffered, God blessed him with more wealth and with a lot more children and allowed him to live 140 more years- allowing Job to see the next 4 generations! While reading this chapter I was struck by verses 10-11.
After reading this I thought: "Where were these siblings and others, before the Lord restored Job's riches?" Did these people express sympathy and offer physical and financial comfort to Job while he was in despair? The answer is no. (See Job 19:13-19)
Thinking these thoughts made me realize that it is much easier to despise God and our circumstances, when we are left alone in our suffering. Job was blessed in the sense that he had a strong and unshakable faith in God. Not everyone is strong like Job. Not everyone has the disposition or upbringing (and I mean upbringing as- a long history of faith and memories to reflect on how trusting in God ultimately pays off) to have an unshakable faith in God.
So that made me wonder, who are those around us that we see suffering? Inside and outside of the church. It may be easier for them to have a stronger faith in God, look beyond their current sufferings, and trust that God has a higher purpose for their life, if we show them a little sympathy and compassionate support. My pastor regularly comments that we don't want to be a church (or a people) that refuses to "touch" others. Meaning, we don't want to be known as people who won't get involved in the lives of others who are suffering and struggling because of choices thrust upon them or choices they made themselves. We want to be a people who sees the needs of others and steps in to offer comfort and to pray, because miracles happen! We do not want to be a people who stay away in order to feel safe in our own comfort zone. We want to confront and comfort people's realities with God's love, his compassion, and his truth - because there is a higher purpose for us all.
I want to encourage us to think about whether we are really seeing each other and those around us. When we see, let's also act.
10: And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.
11: Then came to him all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and ate bread with him in his house. And they showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him. And each of them gave him a piece of money and a ring of gold.
After reading this I thought: "Where were these siblings and others, before the Lord restored Job's riches?" Did these people express sympathy and offer physical and financial comfort to Job while he was in despair? The answer is no. (See Job 19:13-19)
Thinking these thoughts made me realize that it is much easier to despise God and our circumstances, when we are left alone in our suffering. Job was blessed in the sense that he had a strong and unshakable faith in God. Not everyone is strong like Job. Not everyone has the disposition or upbringing (and I mean upbringing as- a long history of faith and memories to reflect on how trusting in God ultimately pays off) to have an unshakable faith in God.
So that made me wonder, who are those around us that we see suffering? Inside and outside of the church. It may be easier for them to have a stronger faith in God, look beyond their current sufferings, and trust that God has a higher purpose for their life, if we show them a little sympathy and compassionate support. My pastor regularly comments that we don't want to be a church (or a people) that refuses to "touch" others. Meaning, we don't want to be known as people who won't get involved in the lives of others who are suffering and struggling because of choices thrust upon them or choices they made themselves. We want to be a people who sees the needs of others and steps in to offer comfort and to pray, because miracles happen! We do not want to be a people who stay away in order to feel safe in our own comfort zone. We want to confront and comfort people's realities with God's love, his compassion, and his truth - because there is a higher purpose for us all.
I want to encourage us to think about whether we are really seeing each other and those around us. When we see, let's also act.
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