“Even if he slays me, I will hope in him;
I will surely defend my ways to his face.”
Job 13:15
Job was a faithful servant of God, but God allowed Satan to take all of Job’s possessions, his children, and even his health. Job was crushed, as all of us would be in the face of such horrific loss. What he feared most had happened to him.
He lost all his strength and cried out in anguish. He expressed his feeling that there was no point in continuing, no point in going on, in waiting for restoration or healing or peace. He thought God was harming him for no reason. In his loss, he forgot that God was good and full of compassion and mercy. God allowed Job to experience tremendous loss, but not for the reasons Job thought.
Job was honest and raw with God, asking questions and crying out for help. Job knew he had not been walking in sin, so he could not understand why it seemed God had punished him. Yet Job had great faith, knowing that he would still hope in God no matter what. Job was a righteous man, but he wasn’t God. God had a greater purpose for his suffering. He knew that even if God killed him, he could still hope in God. He was still the only true source of life and the only One worthy of his hope.
God was not trying to destroy Job.
There was a much greater purpose for Job’s loss. God allowed Job to experience loss to show Satan how faithful Job was to Him. God restored Job after his loss. Job was faithful and did not deny God in the midst of his suffering, but that was not why God restored him. God allowed Job to be restored in order to display His incredible kindness and mercy.
Job’s story reminds us that God is still God, and He is still good, even if we are not delivered from the suffering of this world. We may pray fervently and wait expectantly only to find ourselves disappointed if life plays out differently. But not having our prayers answered in the way or time we hoped does not mean they were unheard or disregarded. Not being relieved of our current sufferings does not change the promise of eventual, eternal restoration.
Even if there is no healing, even if the relationship isn’t restored, even if the finances don’t turn around, even if the child remains rebellious, even if the addiction maintains control, we can put our hope in Him.
Are we faithful to God in the midst of loss?
We can be honest with God no matter what we face. But we cannot lose sight of who He is. We know He is always good and loving and kind, and we can always find hope in Him. There may be a greater spiritual, eternal purpose for our loss, one we may never see on this earth.
Let’s endure like Job did, no matter what, and boldly proclaim, “Even if . . . I will put my hope in Him.”
