JOB 23:10 – But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold.”

THEME OF THE DAY: WHAT WE KNOW MUST RULE WHAT WE FEEL.  Today’s scripture is amazing.  Not in and of itself, but because of what the person saying it is experiencing.  Job is not in a little bit of pain. He is suffering physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  He feels abandoned by God, his wife, and his friends. He also has excruciating pain from boils all over his body.  Add in the real sense of loneliness, and our friend is in a very bad way.  Did he complain?  Yes, throughout the book bearing his name, he does. But he never gave up the faith.  In the midst of the most trying of tests, he would not yield to the pain and deny his God or walk away from him.  Did he feel like it? Time after time after time. . .

What about you or me?  Ever feel so overwhelmed with life that we didn’t think we could handle another “brick” on our already loaded down heart? Maybe even despairing of life itself?  Like the Apostle Paul –For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again (2 Corinthians 1:8-10). I am sure each of us has gone through tough stretches in our walks with the Lord. They are called “the testing of our faith.” But another question needs to be asked, “Did we or are we responding like the Apostle Paul and Job?

First, the Apostle Paul.  He saw through his pain, even his deep depression, to the purpose behind the suffering. He knew it was a test for good; a test that caused him to trust God more despite his pain and suffering.  Do we?

Now, Job. Go back and read today’s scripture. Job is in the midst of much spiritual darkness.  He doesn’t understand what is happening to him.  He feels all this suffering is undeserved.  His emotions are screaming loud and they are not sound theologians.  Lesson for us?  Never let pain and suffering interpret God’s character or our theology of God.  If we do, we will paint Him as Someone He isn’t. Pain and suffering make Him mean, cruel, unloving, not fair, and all those are words of blasphemy.  But with Job, despite the hurt, he, like Paul, knew this was a test, a trial given by God for his good. He actually said, “When He has tried me, I shall come out as gold.”

 Never lose sight that knowledge must triumph feelings.  God does test all His people. He does so by difficult relationships, circumstances, and situations that are painful, often feel overwhelming, and seem unbearable at times. Yet, we must let our minds rule our raw emotions in times of testing. Let what we know overcome how we feel. And we know all things work together for our good. Cling to what we know, not what we feel and we will grow from the testing.

PRAYER: “Father, forgive me when You test my faith and I let the emotions of the pain in the test cause me to complain.”

QUOTE: “The testing of our faith must be painful so we will learn to rely on what we know and not what we feel.”

In the affection of Christ Jesus,

Pastor Jim