The Normal Christian Life - Job 42

5/28/2017

What do you expect out of your day? Do you generally believe your day will go well, everything will work in your favour and there will be absence of suffering? What do you expect in your future? Do you believe you’ll embark on a career where you will rise to the top, you will get married, have kids, they’ll rise and call you “blessed”, they’ll leave home, get married, provide you with grandchildren, you’ll retire, you’ll then sail around the world and eventually you and your spouse will peacefully pass away in your sleep at the same time side by side? Are there any details missing from that life story?

Our expectations of a “normal day” or a “normal life” will dictate whether we are delighted or disappointed at the end of the day. None of us want to go around expecting the worst each day, but we have also been confronted by the book of Job (and the rest of the bible really) that suffering is an inevitable fact of life. In life there are mountain tops and valleys, oasis’ and deserts.

Job lived this reality and through it all, he remained connected to God through some extreme emotional ups and downs. When God finally confronts Job at the end of the book, Job responds in a very different way than he responded to his “friends”. James 5:11 tells us that Job was steadfast, he persevered through his trials and suffering. It also tells us that God, through his purposes, showed that He was compassionate and merciful. Ultimately, in His mercy, he humbled Job, he accepted Job and then He Blessed Job.

We too can experience that blessing from God when we approach Him in confession and repentance. It is a promise that He gives to all His followers.