“Still I’m not annihilated by darkness; he has hidden deep darkness from me.” -Job 24:17
To have faith some say is a crazy thing to have. Faith, Hope, and even Love are sometimes interpreted are things that only the insane do and believe. After all we couldn’t possibly believe in a being that we cannot see or even touch.
Right?
Then you read the book of Job.
I will admit that I was not always a fan of this particular book in the bible. I always found it so depressing and sad. I am thankful for God redirecting my opinion on this book in my most recent reading.
What happens in this book and to this man, Job is unimaginable. He literally loses everything. At the beginning of the story we find that Job is a man of high importance, who has many things. Not just possessions, but a big family to go along with that as well.
“He had seven sons and three daughters, and owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred pairs of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a vast number of servants.”
When you read about how many animals he had try to realize that he could get a profit for each one. Imagine how much seven thousand sheep could get him. So Job is not poor. He has been blessed with a big family, many possessions, and many servants. Then all of this is gone in a day.
He loses everything.
It was a tragedy. When tragedy happens our friends show up and Job’s friends did show up. Their advice had a lot to be desired. Their advice basically was what any human would advise. That if bad things happen their has to be a reason. That if he lost everything that either he or his family had sinned so much that God was punishing him. Like I said, It leaves a lot to be desired. After his friends and even his wife try to blame this on God Job says something so powerful that its mind-blowing.
“Still I’m not annihilated by darkness; he has hidden deep darkness from me.” -Job 24:17
The entire time that this is happening Job NEVER blames God. He evens says that God himself is hiding deep darkness from him. That even though this terrible tragedy has happened that God is still with him, protecting him.
Wow.
I pray that I will have that kind of faith in my Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that my faith would so focused and honed in on the fullness of God that no matter what happens that faith never changes.
That is my prayer for this lenten season. Let us draw more near to God and focus our faith and that it will be so strong that nothing can break it down.
Amen.
