The Thing Which I Greatly Feared

Whenever I begin to write short pieces like this, I begin by praying for the Lord to reveal to me what He would have me say to benefit others. So, I was a bit confused this morning when He led me to the book of Job and chapter 3.

"Why, Lord, would you lead me to such a dismal and dark place in order to bring encouragement to someone, when other places in Your word are far more inspirational?" What purpose could God possibly have?

And then I saw it, in verse 25. "For the thing which I have greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come to me." 

So often in life, in the quiet moments between the busyness, I allow myself to consider the many fearful things that could come upon me and mine. Most often those fears revolve around my children and their safety.  I allow myself to get anxious over the “what if's.”

Job was required by God's permissive will to face our worst fears.  My soul faints when I contemplate, "What if that were me?” Would I have the spiritual fortitude to proclaim as he did, "The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord?"

But we know the end of the story. We know that the Lord blessed him with more sons and daughters and more possessions than what he had before. We know from the many examples in His Word that God is good and He is to be trusted, even when we don’t understand the circumstances.

Although Paul did not include Job in the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11, it would not be implausible to say he could have included “By faith Job proclaimed the goodness of God, when he said, ‘Blessed be the name of the Lord.’” When he made this statement, he had not yet received any promise from God or any sign that he would have everything restored.  He simply believed that God was good and could be trusted when everything seemed to indicate otherwise.

In her study, Believing God, Beth Moore encourages us to such faith.  She has her students write in their bibles after Hebrews 11:40, “41 By faith (your name)…”  Mine now says “41By faith Cindy…” We will spend the remainder of our days filling in the …  She challenges us to determine what our faith legacy will be.

In whatever circumstance you find yourself today, my friend, will you choose to “By faith… ?”  Will you proclaim the goodness of our mighty God even from the depths of your valley?

Dear Lord God, I pray for whoever it is that You had in mind when you led me to this scripture.  I pray that whatever challenge they are facing now in these times will one day, in retrospect, be a time of blessing through growth.  Lord, we know that You are in the process of refining us and that You are conforming us into the image of the likeness of Your Son. We know that You are faithful to complete the work You have begun in us until the day of Your return.  I pray that you will give my brother or sister the strength to submit to the growing and to also proclaim by faith, “blessed be the name of the Lord!”By faith we proclaim together Your goodness. Our God is an awesome God! Praise You, Father! Amen!