where are your roots

the story of Job is incredible. i haven’t finished reading yet, but i just read chapter 19 and am blown away at Job’s character – blown away at his resiliency – blown away at his faith.

in chapter 1 God describes Job as ‘a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and turns away from evil’ (verse 8) when talking with Satan. so, Satan asks God ‘does Job fear God for no reason?’ (verse 9)and so God allows Satan to test Job. God’s only stipulation is that Satan cannot lay his hand on Job himself. so, Satan destroys everything in Job’s life at once – 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys and his servants were struck down by the Sabeans, then right after Job got that news a fire fell and burned up all 7,000 sheep and consumed all his servants, then just as he got this news another servant delivered the message that all 3,000 camels and servants had been struck down by the Chaldeans, and finally the last servant was running up to tell him that a wind blew and collapsed the house that all his children were in, none of them made it out.

Job had lost everything. everything that made him the ‘greatest of all the people of the east’ (verse 3) now gone.

in doing all this Satan thought Job would surely ‘curse God to his face.’ (verse 11).

Job even falls to his face in worship saying, ‘the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord’ (verse 21). another day Satan presents himself before God and the Lord says to Satan ‘he [Job] still holds fast his integrity although you have incited Me against him to destroy him without reason’ (Job 2:3). Satan answers back to God and says, ‘skin for skin’ and the Lord replies ‘behold he is in your hands; only spare his life’ (Job 2:4-6). so, Satan goes and strikes Job with these loathsome sores that cover him from heel to head. when Job’s wife sees him, she says, ‘do you still hold fast your integrity? curse God and die’ (verse 9).

in doing all of this Satan thought Job would surely ‘curse God to his face.’ (verse 5).

now get this, (verse 10) ‘in all this Job did not sin with lips.’

now three of Job’s closest friends show up to comfort him; Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar. they see how great Job’s afflictions are and they sit with him, in silence, for 7 days and 7 nights, until Job broke the silence. Job starts to complain about his situation, that it is unfair, that he has done nothing to deserve his punishment, and his closest friend’s replies are not too comforting. in fact, in Job 16:2 he replies to his friends saying, ‘miserable comforters are you all.’ since his friends believe that Job has committed some great sin, that he has become truly wicked, that Job does not fear God anymore and thus his punishment is just.

but Job refuses to listen to the logic of his friends. Job knows the reality of his experience, and he refuses to accept this new counterfeit of God. he will continue to believe in God’s faithfulness even though he can’t see it now.

isn’t this remarkable? that Satan has destroyed all that Job has and he worships. that Satan has attacked Job’s health and still he has not sinned with lips. that Satan turns the words of his wife and his three closest friends against him and still his faith has not been broken. Satan has no power over the sons and daughters of the Risen King. Satan will attack you, but the Lord is nearby.

this story of Job gets me thinking about how great his faith is! i don’t know if mine would be able to withstand all that Job’s has. in my past i know that i have questioned God’s love for me through my baseball performances, when i wasn’t doing good i would wonder ‘what good is my faith? surely, it’s not helping me in sports.’ and as i have matured i realize God’s love for me is not indicative on my performance, and that my love for God is not indicative on my performances. i will praise the Lord and worship Him even when things aren’t going my way.

i couldn’t help but think of the parable of the sower, or the parable of four soils.

(read Mark 4:1-20)

it’s so evident that Job’s heart was one of good soil. that when God’s word fell on his heart it would be yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold. if Job did not have a heart of good soil this situation would have squashed every ounce of faith in God he had. which brings me to us, i feel a lot of us find ourselves on the rocky ground. we get saved and immediately have this overflowing joy in the Lord, but when troubles come or persecution arises, we fall away.

Satan brings these trials and tribulations into your life to get you to fall away, and he will twist it into being God’s fault as he tried to do with Job. but if you can push through the uncomfortable you see God’s faithfulness in a whole new light. break through the crumbles of rock and sprout your roots into good soil so you can enjoy all that God is wanting to do in your life.

have a faith so strong, so evident, so deeply rooted that God considers you above the temptations of Satan - knowing that even in the clutches of Satan your faith in God will hold.

-n0tbychance