Wayne Weekly “Lessons Learned, Lesions Earned”

I’ve been reading the book of Job during my daily devotions. I will say that gleaning a fresh application to life from the book can sometimes be challenging.

Jobs, ah, “friends” don’t seem to help the horrendous situation Job finds himself in. As readers of the book we know from the first and second chapters that Satan challenged God to allow him bring various calamities to Job’s life to show how fragile Job’s faith would be under severe trials.

You may know how things played out. Job’s three “friends” had some making up to do, the younger man Elihu added his take and challenged Job’s self-proclaimed position before God, and Job was eventually taken to a verbal woodshed by God. In the end, Job repented and his blessed life was restored materially and with many more children.

Crushing events in our lives may not equal that of Job’s, though may come close at times, and our initial response may be to examine ourselves before God to see “why we have fallen short of God’s grace”. But what we learn from the book of Job is that trials in life are allowed by a sovereign God for His purposes alone. Most trials can be interpreted as discipline. Remember what the writer of Hebrews said,

“All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”            Hebrews 12:11

But there are times when we just don’t see why we’re disciplined by our Heavenly Father.

Sometimes trials come our way to effectively shape our character, to refine us, to temper us:

“And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”                                                              Romans 5:3-5

So the next time trials come barging down our life’s door, seek out the Lord, trust Him, and patiently wait for the divine result.

“My ears have heard of you, but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.”                                                                                                        Job 42:5,6