Job 27: 1-6 As surely as God lives, who has denied me justice, the Almighty, who has made my life bitter, as long as I have life within me, the breath of God in my nostrils, my lips will not say anything wicked, and my tongue will not utter lies.  I will never admit you are in the right; till I die, I will not deny my integrity.  I will maintain my innocence and never let go of it; my conscience will not reproach me as long as I live.

I cannot imagine being inflicted with so much pain and yet being able to cling to God. Well that’s not entirely true, I think I can relate on some account. I recently had to deal with something very unpleasant and stressful and I remember praying and saying out loud that I will not give up in prayer and give up on God because whatever the situation was I prefer to cling to God and worship him even more. I guess this was what Job was saying too. That despite everything he is not giving up on God. He knew himself, he knew he was a child of God and if God chose to have him experience pain he still would hold fast to his belief in God. Job chose to not turn on God as his wife and friends would have him do. Job instead chose to believe in his uprightness and God’s fairness.

Pain and situations that are less than does not signify God inflicting punishment nor does it signify  a lack of God’s love for us. In Job’s case it was a test to show and prove to the enemy that God knows his children. That no matter what test the enemy will put us through, if we stick to God and keep focused on him he will give us the strength to handle  life’s tests. Reminds me a little of Paul and the thorn in his flesh when God told Paul that his grace was sufficient for him. Read 2 Corinthians 12:9

Isn’t it a great thing when we know ourselves and where we stand in Christ? No matter how it may seem to others in the physical that’s not where we are for ourselves in the spiritual. Job knew there must have been a reason why this was happening to him without knowing the reason. He did not give in to the wife and friends who were trying to make him see himself in a less than light. He knew who he was in Christ and was not going let go of that. He remembered how good God was to him.

That is one of the greatest lessons in this chapter of the bible. Knowing ourselves so when the enemy comes upon us we stand firm in our truth of God and what he represents in our life.

 I don’t know about you but I want to be like Job who stood the test of adversity and came out triumphant. Being blessed once again in ways even he I’m sure could not imagine. I also choose to think that it was not even about the blessings the second time around for Job I believe he would have just been content with nothing. However God rewards faithfulness and ‘good intentions’, good attitude etc. Let us ensure that we have the right attitude and intentions to go with our faithfulness. Be blessed.