Over the past few weeks our children had reoccurring episodes of sickness. We had many trips to the doctor’s office, pharmacy, and Walmart for disinfectants. My husband and I prayed, and prayed, and prayed. The sickness would seem to be gone then, after some time, signs of the sickness would surface again. I was at a place where the rubber was meeting the road of my faith. Have you ever been in that place? It is the place where you either draw closer to God or walk away.
There is a book in the bible called Job. If you have never read it, you should because Job absolutely was in that place. The Lord was so pleased with Job and believed in Job’s steadfastness so much that he allowed Satan to inflict much pain on Job. He lost his business. He lost his family. He lost his health. The only thing that remained was his wife, who cursed God and encouraged Job to do the same, and his friends who blamed Job for his own suffering. (What a support network!) I could go on into great detail about the story of Job, but I
will not. It is an incredible read and I encourage anyone who hasn’t read it to do so.
Here is the bottom line of the story: Job was blessed through his suffering. Everything that was taken away from Job was restored and multiplied. But, more importantly, Job received (in my opinion) one of the greatest revelations about the awesomeness of God, straight from the mouth of God, that is seen in the Bible.
When the rubber meets the road of your faith, continue to pray, praise and draw close to God. Get excited because, if you remain steadfast, blessings are coming. Allow God to reveal Himself to you through your sufferings. I have found that this is the blessing that matters most.
As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. – James 5:11
