In Eliphaz’s third and final speech, he accuses Job of wickedness. Grasping for a reason behind his friend’s suffering, Eliphaz must believe his friend has done something to deserve this. If he hadn’t, surely God would not have allowed this amount of suffering to befall him.
How quickly our faith reduces to a formula when in crisis. If I do good works for God, God will bless me, right? Job knew that no matter what he did or did not do, God “is unchangeable, who can oppose Him? He does what he desires” (Job 23:13). Which leaves us wondering, if the outcome will always be the same, why even bother with trying to do good?
I recently moved into a house with a newly remodeled kitchen. It is neat and pristine on the surface, but I have learned that the pipes beneath it are not. Previous owners committed the cardinal sin against sinks. They put grease down the drain, and now I’m dealing with a clog.
As several different plumbers have come in and out of my home, I have learned that a beautiful kitchen is worthless if the pipes are bad. When it comes to kitchens, it is only what’s beneath the surface that allows everything to function, flow, and thrive. When it comes to us, it is the same.
To the church in Galatia, Paul wrote, “For whatever a person sows he will also reap, because the one who sows to his flesh will reap destruction from the flesh” (Galatians 6:7–8). For whatever a man puts down the drain, he will also see it come up again.
God cares about our good works, not because they affect His will—He is unchangeable, who can oppose Him?—but because they affect who we are. As Paul continues, saying, “the one who sows to his flesh will reap destruction from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit” (v.8).
We must not get tired of doing good, not because our good deeds will lead to good circumstances, but because sowing goodness leads to a life of trusting in the Spirit—the type of life that can withstand trials with faith.
Job seems to have the opposite problem of my kitchen. His life is in shambles, his kitchen a disaster zone, but the plumbing is clear. He is asking why, as we all would, but he is also asking a better question: where? Where is God in the struggle? “If only I knew how to find him,” he pleads, “so that I could go to His throne” (Job 23:3).
Through our great High Priest Jesus Christ, we have direct access to the throne room Job seeks. Because of this, although we can’t always be confident of the why, we can be confident of the where. Where is God in our suffering? Right there with us in the midst of it.
Whatever suffering befalls you today, know that God is near. And His Spirit is allowing you to do good, so that even if your physical life is in shambles, you can be confident the life inside of you is eternal.
“Can a man be of any use to God? Can even a wise man be of use to Him?” (Job 22:2) God can accomplish anything He purposes, with or without me. But He chooses to use us to do His work! And He delights in what He has made. He delights in us! Oh how I long to be used of God to do His work. Feeling restless recently. Like there’s more coming. Drawn to know God more and love others more. Restless when I waste my time on worthless things.
:thanks Andrea this one was for me :’)
God cares about our good works, not because they affect His will—He is unchangeable, who can oppose Him?—but because they affect who we are….. We must not get tired of doing good, not because our good deeds will lead to good circumstances, but because sowing goodness leads to a life of trusting in the Spirit—the type of life that can withstand trials with faith.
This.
This is what my heart needed to hear. Thank you!
Absolutely love this. Right in the feels ❤
“How quickly our faith reduces to a formula when in crisis.”
This really resonates with me. I have spent the majority of my Christian walk believing if I do good, then God will bless me but if I don’t, trials will come. In fact, this is the farthest I have ever gotten into the book of Job because reading something that didn’t fit into my formula of “good equals good, bad equals bad” made me so uncomfortable that I would just revert back to those feel good passages of scripture.
But God is so good. He has been so patient with me and my shallow faith. And He is revealing to me that true intimacy with Him is so much better than any earthly blessing. He’s showing me that instead of scrambling around trying to earn a comfortable life, I can take His loving hand and walk wherever He leads, trusting He’ll never leave me or forsake me. Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus. Thank you She Reads Truth for this study!
I have never doubted that God is with me through this journey I’ve been on. Have I asked why? Of course I have. But I have not doubted His presence is with me. With my kids. He’s even with their dad. There still a lot of hard things I have to do but I know God is with me. I don’t like it but I know God is with me.
Please pray for my son who is a senior in high school. He is with the high school ministry across the border. In Mexico. This is how he has spent his spring break every year. This year he’s is on the Barnabas team. Which we all know is encouragement. I’m so proud of my boy. I love him so much. I had to do something very hard over the weekend. Before leaving, he put his STRONG arms around me and prayed for me. He ended by saying “thank you God for my strong mom“.
“Oh, that I knew where I might find him,
that I might come even to his seat!” I love this statement. It’s like a child who is so confident that their parent loves them and wants to be with them even when they are apart and not visibly protecting them. I am amazed at Jobs faith when he didn’t have the example of Jesus on the cross. What a great reminder to us that we can be confident in going to the throne during hard times!
This side of heaven there will be things we never fully understand but knowing the character of God- that He is good, unchanging, faithful- means that we can trust Him in the mystery.