Even when it hurts
First Love – Inspiring others to fall in love with Jesus
“But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and he will stand upon the earth at last” Job 19:25
We live in a world today where success and achievement is measured by possession and wealth. If you happen to have many possessions; a house, a career, a bank balance in the black, then as I highlighted in Friday's video log, you can easily measure your worth in these terms. To take it a step further, as a Christian with some or all of these blessings, you may therefore find worshipping God comes easily.
The bible says that God is the giver of life (Psalm 36:9) and of every good blessing (James 1:17) however would you respond to God the same if everything you had was taken from you? We cannot control life. We go through hard times, face disappointments and experience sorrow. There are times of great loss and feelings of grief can overwhelm us. Perhaps that is how you feel today. How will you respond to God?
There is a story in the bible in the Old Testament about a man named Job. If I am completely honest with you, it was always a book that I avoided as it overwhelmed me with sadness. It certainly isn’t one that I am quick to preach on. Job was pushed to the limit. In one day he lost everything, his family, his property and his provision. How does anyone deal with losing all ten of your children in one blow? However even though this is a truly sad story, I discovered something quite wonderful about Job, in particular his response to God.
Now I am not going to tell you that after losing everything he was sitting happily drinking a cup of tea with his feet up, as he wasn’t. “Job tore his robe in grief” He was devastated and he was heartbroken. However he got up and he fell onto the ground and the bible tells us he worshipped the Lord. He cries out “I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The LORD gave me what I had, and the LORD has taken it away. Praise the name of the LORD!” (Job 1:21). Wow! What a statement to make in the midst of agonising pain. Job could have reacted in many ways; anger, bitterness, rage, but instead he poured his heart out to God and worshipped - even when it hurt.
Job’s story raises questions for me and for all of us. Would I still worship God if everything that I had was taken from me? Maybe you never saw it as a choice. The truth is if you have made the choice to become a Christian, that you have received Jesus as your saviour and Lord, then you are his disciple. And as a follower of Christ you have the choice to worship him in the good days and in the bad. The wonderful truth about Jesus is that even though our circumstances change he never changes. He is the same yesterday, today and forevermore (Hebrews 13:8).
Job made the choice that even though his heart was overwhelmed with pain, he would praise the Lord. What choice will you make today? Will you worship even when it hurts? Can you say today that no matter what, I’d rather have Jesus? For there is nothing greater than knowing him. The apostle Paul knew this when he wrote to the church in Philippi “I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus as my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish that I may gain Christ”.
Today if you feel like you have nothing, turn to Jesus. Worship him as he is everything.
Until next time
