Joy Comes in the Morning
March 8, 2021
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The book of Job, in its entirety, is one of the greatest examples in the Bible of a person trusting God in the midst of severe trial and deep sorrow. After he lost just about everything—his children, servants, livestock, wealth, and health—Job made three important statements that we can learn a great deal from. These statements will profoundly shape our perspective and our relationship with the Lord.
First, Job said in chapter one verse 21, “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 acknowledged that God had given him everything he had—and since it seemed that God had chosen to take everything away, Job still praised His name.
Second, he said in Job 13:15, “Though He slay me, yet I will hope in Him.”
How easy it is to praise God and trust Him when things are going well in our lives? It’s another thing altogether to praise and trust Him in times of loss and difficulty. The key is knowing that God is trustworthy and good, even when we don’t understand our circumstances. (See Genesis 50:20; Psalm 107:1; Luke 18:19; and 1 John 1:5.)
Third, Job said in chapter 14, verse one and two, “Man born of woman is of few days and full of trouble. He springs up like a flower and withers away; like a fleeting shadow.”
Job recognized that our time here on this earth is so brief. This brevity of life puts any hardship we may be facing into perspective because it pales in comparison with the eternity we will spend with God in Heaven. (See also James 4:14-15.)
After making these profound and faith-filled statements, Job asked God some questions—114 questions, to be exact.
Job questioned, but he never once blamed God. Within this inquiry, we find life’s greatest question:
“If a man dies, will he live again?” (Job 14:14)
To answer this question, I want to encourage you to take some time out this week to look up and read the following verses:
- Ecclesiastes 3:2
- Psalm 146:4
- Hebrews 9:27-28
- Philippians 3:20-21
- John 11:25
- Psalm 116:15
- Psalm 30:5
These Scriptures will bless and encourage you to know, without a doubt, that there is an afterlife—and the best afterlife is spent with God our Creator by knowing His Son Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World (John 3:16).
Then God answered Job with questions of His own in chapters 38 to 41, which are a must read, and we learn that God is good and sovereign over all. He is worthy of trust. He has a plan and a purpose for His creation, and He loves us. This truth is echoed in Psalm 8:3-5, which says,
“When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor.”
The biggest lesson we learn from Job is that, no matter our circumstances—even when our lives our topsy-turvy and all seems lost—God is good and trustworthy. He sees you. He knows you. He loves you. He is coming to rescue you. Trust Him. Trust Him.
Pastor Dudley Rutherford is the author of Compelled: The Irresistible Call to Share Your Faith (available everywhere books are sold online) and the senior pastor of Shepherd Church, which has three campuses in the Greater Los Angeles area. You can watch services online or connect with Dudley at www.LiftUpJesus.com and on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
