Blessed Endurance

Hello Girlfriends!

I am sharing with you a devotional I submitted for my degree program. The format is nearly the same as I usually write, except I was required to cite some outside sources. Let me know what you think!

I Love You Ladies!

Photo from http://www.foundationsforfreedom.net

Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes…And the Lord restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.

Job 42:6,10

 My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.

James 5:10-11 (NKJV)

My Story

“I give up! I quit!”

How many times have I found myself exasperated, hands thrown in the air and tears streaming down my face, impatiently exploding into a fit of rage over my inability to conquer the mountain in front of me? I am embarrassed to say that the answer is more times than I can count. Even more humiliating is the fact that most of those “mountains” were truly “mini molehills”—a computer program I could not operate; a car that kept failing inspection; the third straight batch of cookies I charcoaled; or the tangled strands of a thousand Christmas bulbs that would not light. But then along comes a family member or friend to comfort and aid me: My husband who fixes the computer; my dad who changes the brake pads; my son who says he loves blackened cookies; and my friend who thinks it is fun to say “time me” as she unravels the light cords and finds the burned-out bulb. I seriously thank God for these people in my life and wish that I had their brand of patience and perseverance. But God reminds me that I possess my own sort of endurance for which to be grateful…and I am.

My endurance was birthed in the midst of great personal turmoil and testing, but it came to maturation amid the tragic trauma and trials of my oldest daughter.  I am talking about the type of endurance that probes the heart for the faith and strength to patiently persevere, yet calls into question, if only for a brief moment, everything that once towered as true and trustworthy. Trying to hold on when everything is spinning out of control can lead to this need to examine and question the reason for suffering, hoping to find an answer to appease the mind, console the heart and restore the order. When the answers do not come forth, endurance is tested and faith enters the fire—will trust in God’s sovereignty pull it out again, refined and golden? Or will doubt and despair watch it burn into ashes? For guidance, I turn to the Bible.

Job’s Story

A righteous and upright man named Job once faced these faith-in-the-fire questions. For many years, Job was a wealthy, well-respected, married man and father of ten children for whom he prayed and offered sacrifices consistently. Per God’s own admission, Job was blameless, shunning evil and fearing God (see Job 1:1-5). By all appearances, he was living a blessed life until one day when suddenly all was destroyed without cause (2:3). Job’s loss and suffering stretched beyond that which most humans will ever encounter or experience. His devastation included loss of all ten children at once and all of his property, servants, and wealth. Additionally, he was afflicted with intense pain in his body (1:13-2:10). When his family and friends came to call, they offered no comfort. His wife suggested that Job “curse God and die” (2:9). His three friends pushed and prodded him to repent of wickedness, hidden or otherwise, despite Job’s repeated pleas of innocence (4:1-31:40).

Who among us could blame Job for deploring the day he was born (3:1-26), seeking death for respite from God’s wrath (7:9,10; 10:18-22), and appealing to God for an explanation of his suffering (10:1-22)? Job could have easily thrown up his hands, crying out, “I quit! I give up!” But, Job does not die. He does not cave in to his friends’ flawed theology regarding retribution. He does not even collapse under the chastisement of a younger man who calls out Job’s pride and claims God intends to teach Job something through his suffering (36:22). Instead, Job maintains his integrity, endures his misery, and beseeches God for answers (for which he is also scolded by Elihu (3:23)).

God does indeed show up “out of the whirlwind” (38:1) to address Job’s pleas and challenges. The LORD reveals his omnipotence in His speeches, going into great detail describing His vast creative and sustaining power. He then invites Job to teach Him (38:3; 40:7). By issuing this challenge, God is not condemning Job. He is, however, reprimanding him for accusing and judging the LORD according to the retribution principle in order to maintain his own innocence. God’s message to Job is (1) I am here, (2) I am wise and in control; you are not,[1] and (3) “justice is not the sum of human life or the whole of God’s essential being.”[2] In essence, “the God speeches remind us that a Person, not a principle, is Lord.”[3]

Hence, Job’s persistence yields fruit in the end. His faith is strengthened by a higher knowledge of God’s infinite power and absolute sovereignty over creation. His understanding of the retribution principle is qualified by God’s wisdom in governing the universe. Job retains his righteousness but repents of his pride and presumptuousness. Upon repenting and praying for his guilty friends, Job’s prosperity is restored twofold in every area. “The LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning” (42:12).

Your Story

So severe was Job’s ordeal that James offers Job’s story of perseverance as an example to the New Testament church. James 5:11 attests that the blessed are those who endure. Notice James does not say blessed are those who have health and wealth, or whose health and wealth is restored (although he does point to the Lord’s compassion and mercy in the end.) Veritably, the focus of consideration for blessed status is endurance and patience through suffering. Job and James’s messages apply as much to us today as they did to the Israelites and the new Christian church.

So, my Girlfriends, what’s your story? We each have one that would fill up this space, and maybe even a few more pages!  What malady darkens your doorstep? What are you giving up, going without, or letting go? What is this sacrifice costing you? Are your friends and family supportive and comforting, or are they frustrating your efforts to maintain your relationship with the LORD? Are your lips muttering, “I quit! I give up!” while your arms are in the air displaying your frustration and protest for all to see? Or are your hands lifted high in prayer and praise in the midst of perturbation and pressure while your voice sings of His power, grandeur and supremacy? Is your faith in the fire, or is there fuel and fire in your faith?

I pray, ladies, that you will be encouraged to follow Job “as an example of one whose patience and endurance in adversity ought to be emulated.”[4] I may not comprehend the torment or tribulation of your life, but I do know a God who does. He is reaching out for you today even if you cannot see, hear or feel Him. He wants you to know that He is close by, near at hand, just as He was with Job. The God who “laid the foundations of the earth” (Job 38:4), “who shut in the seas with doors” (38:8), and “caused the dawn to know its place” (38:12) is the same God who knit you together in your mother’s womb (Ps 139:13). Your suffering falls within the sovereignty of God, and while you may not understand the reason or the purpose, you can trust that He does. Bear with Him. Abide in Him. Patiently pray to persevere and claim your own brand of endurance. Indeed we count them blessed who endure (James 5:11).

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[1] Longman III, T., “Job 3: History of Interpretation”, in Dictionary of the Old Testament: Wisdom, Poetry& Writings (ed.Tremper Longman III and Peter Enns; Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2008), 374.

[2] Bullock, C. Hassell, An Introduction to the Old Testament Poetic Books, (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1998), 128.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Longman, History of Interpretation, 362.

TESTS

Scripture:
Job 23:3-12:
3 "Oh that I knew where I might find Him, That I might come to His seat ! 4 "I would present my case before Him And fill my mouth with arguments. 5 "I would learn the words which He would answer, And perceive what He would say to me. 6 "Would He contend with me by the greatness of His power ? No, surely He would pay attention to me. 7 "There the upright would reason with Him; And I would be delivered forever from my Judge. 8 "Behold, I go forward but He is not there, And backward, but I cannot perceive Him; 9 When He acts on the left, I cannot behold Him; He turns on the right, I cannot see Him. 10 "But He knows the way I take ; When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold. 11 "My foot has held fast to His path ; I have kept His way and not turned aside. 12 "I have not departed from the command of His lips ; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.



TESTS!!! Ahhh, that word takes me back to school days. How about you? What emotions does that word “test” evoke in you?  Anxiety? Fear? The urge to vomit (ha ha, just kidding…at least I hope I’m not causing anyone to lose their breakfast!) Or, are you one who likes a challenge? Confident and prepared, eager to prove yourself? Or, maybe, you are one who just really does not care? “It will be what it will be.”

TESTS. Life is full of them. Some people may even feel life is one long continual test. Some tests are easy, the “open book” kind, or maybe the “group quiz.” Others are more demanding and lengthy, like semester finals, covering chapters and chapters of life. And then there’s the dreaded “pop quiz.” Oh how those can catch us off-guard, especially when we have dedicated our time to the wrong priorities and did not do our homework.

TESTS. Preparation is always the key. But how can we be prepared for every test life gives us? There is just SO MUCH material. Well, I believe the answer lies in the book of Job. Job was hit by every kind of calamity possible, testing him in every area of his life. The sections of his test were death (loss of children), financial disaster (loss of all he owned), and medical disaster (severe affliction of his body), among others. Even his three friends and wife were of no help in the “group” portion of the test.

So, what was Job’s secret? I would say it was his Teacher. Job was a man of God. He had a bond with the Father that no test could break. Because Job had dedicated his life to living by all he was taught, even in the midst of great pain and agony, he remained confident in what he knew from the Teacher to be the right answers to the test. He did not sin. He did not curse and blame the teacher. He stood firm. He passed the test with an A+++ and great was his reward! (Job 42:12: The LORD blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part.)

But what I love about Job’s story is contained in the verses you read at the top of the page: Job wanted to talk to the Teacher about his test! Oh how many times have we done that? Maybe sought clarification to a question? Or help with a difficult problem? OR,  in steadfast belief that our answer was correct, to argue and present our case for the way we answered to the test! And that is where we find Job, seeking the Teacher, in Chapter 23. But guess what? The Teacher, in Job’s mind, has left the room! Now what? Here’s the cool part…even when he cannot find Him to present His case, Job trusts that God knows the way he takes and that when the test is over, Job will “come forth as gold.” YES!!!!

Girlfriends, what I want you to know today, whether you are in the middle of a test, just finished one, or preparing for the next, WITH GOD as your Teacher, you will PASS!!! Do not enroll in worldly classes, led by Satan and his legions of false teachers! Choose your schedule wisely; dedicate yourself to the coursework of the Bible. Do your homework; be prepared. My prayer for you is that with the Lord by your side, the next emotion evoked by the word “TEST” will be “BRING IT ON!!”
Love You All!