When I introduced the book of Job earlier this week I mentioned a number of tests that Job encountered. Enduring these tests by faith was what enabled him to break through to a more intimate and dynamic relationship with God.
The first of these tests was the material test. Satan, in rapid succession, stripped Job of all his material possessions: 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen and 500 donkeys, along with a large number of servants. Job was a wealthy man, but in one night he was wiped out.
How would you respond if all the material things you owned were suddenly gone, some stolen by thieves, others (servants) killed by murderers and the rest destroyed by a freak phenomenon of nature?
Listen to how Job responded when he got word of his sudden loss: “Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised’” (Job 1:20-21).
He was emotionally distraught but he fell to the ground in humility and submission. Then he worshipped God. He didn’t blame God. He accepted what God allowed by faith. He submitted to what he accepted as God’s will. “In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.”
This is not what most of us associate with worship. He worshipped God as the giver of all he had enjoyed. He also worshipped God by accepting His sovereignty in taking things from him. May each of us learn from his example how to worship God, no matter what we experience in life.
