How often do you think of the goodness of God in the midst of your suffering? When you are going through trials or tribulations, are you focusing on God or the problem? What would be different if your focus was on God, His goodness, His love, His promises instead of the problems and storms of life? In the midst of the temptations and troubles, let’s not try to go it in our own understanding but instead acknowledge God in our ways so He can show us the path to take.
Job has been an intriguing story in my life. Whenever I reached it during my annual Bible reading, I used to dread it because it often felt like it mirrored my own life. But in 2013, something changed. I finally grasped the message in Job 42:12 – it’s about hanging in there, not giving up on God, even when you can’t fathom His plans. Job’s unwavering faith amidst adversity is a powerful example. It’s like being a person of Job’s character, someone God knows can endure the trials, allowing Him to showcase not only His goodness but also the depth of your faith.
I was trying to find a good summary to help with today’s post and used chat.bing.com to help bring it all together.
Job’s story of God’s goodness in the midst of suffering
Job was a righteous man who suffered greatly because of Satan’s challenge to God. He lost his wealth, his children, and his health in a series of calamities. His friends accused him of sinning and urged him to repent, but Job maintained his innocence and faithfulness to God. He questioned God’s justice and wisdom, but he never cursed God or abandoned his trust in him. At the end of the book, God answered Job out of a whirlwind and revealed his sovereignty and majesty. He also rebuked Job’s friends for their false accusations and instructed them to offer sacrifices and ask Job to pray for them.
God then restored Job’s fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before. He also blessed him with seven more sons and three more daughters, and Job lived 140 years after his ordeal, seeing his children and grandchildren to the fourth generation. Job 42:12 says, “The LORD blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part.” This verse shows that God rewarded Job for his perseverance and faithfulness, and that he is able to turn any situation around for his glory and his people’s good.
chat.bing.com summarized Job’s story, highlighting Job 42:12
The New Testament gives us direction about God’s goodness too between what we read in John and in James:
John 16:33 provides guidance from Jesus:
I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace. In the world you have tribulation and distress and suffering, but be courageous [be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy]; I have overcome the world.” [My conquest is accomplished, My victory abiding.]
Amplified version
James 1:2-4 provides guidance in the trials:
2Consider it nothing but joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you fall into various trials. 3Be assured that the testing of your faith [through experience] produces endurance [leading to spiritual maturity, and inner peace]. 4And let endurance have its perfect result and do a thorough work, so that you may be perfect and completely developed [in your faith], lacking in nothing.
Amplified Version
James 1:5-8 speaks to having confidence to turn to and ask God for wisdom:
5If any of you lacks wisdom [to guide him through a decision or circumstance], he is to ask of [our benevolent] God, who gives to everyone generously and without rebuke or blame, and it will be given to him. 6But he must ask [for wisdom] in faith, without doubting [God’s willingness to help], for the one who doubts is like a billowing surge of the sea that is blown about and tossed by the wind. 7For such a person ought not to think or expect that he will receive anything [at all] from the Lord, 8being a double-minded man, unstable and restless in all his ways [in everything he thinks, feels, or decides].
Amplified Version
So where are you at today? Let’s choose to be the dads who model for our wives and kids God’s love and our faith and trust in Him even in the midst of the storms, the trials, the troubles, the tribulations, and the suffering. How can we do that? What can be the motivation or the source to help us do it and stay on course? Persevere brothers and don’t give up! Rember God’s goodness!
Today’s Verse of the Day:
For I know that my Redeemer and Vindicator lives, And at the last He will take His stand upon the earth.
Job 19:25 AMP
Therefore, let’s be the dads who are aware what is going on around us in this world as well as to what God’s Word tells us about the end. Additionally, let’s be the dads who in the midst of the storms and suffering we go through trust God’s goodness because we know that our Redeemer and Vindicator lives in Jesus! Moreover, let’s be the dads who don’t lose hope and don’t give up because we know that at the last, He will take His stand upon the earth!
How can we apply today’s verse of the day to living our lives to the full even in the midst of suffering? How can we put it into practice to demonstrate to our wives, kids, and world God’s goodness?
Applications of Job 19:25 towards being the dads who demonstrate and depend on God’s goodness so as to meet the needs of our wives, kids, and world for His Glory:
- Trust in God’s Sovereignty: Just as Job trusted that his Redeemer and Vindicator lives, teach your children to trust in God’s sovereignty over their lives and the world.
- Maintain Hope: Encourage your family to maintain hope in God’s promises even in difficult times, knowing that He will ultimately set things right.
- Model Perseverance: Demonstrate perseverance in your own life, showing your children that you should not give up when facing challenges.
- Teach Resilience: Teach your kids how to bounce back from setbacks, emphasizing that God’s goodness can turn even the worst situations around.
- Pray for Wisdom: Encourage your family to seek God’s wisdom in all circumstances, just as James 1:5-8 suggests. Let them know that God is the source of guidance.
- Demonstrate Joy Amidst Trials: As James 1:2-4 mentions, consider it joy when facing trials. Show your children that even in tough times, you can find joy in God’s presence and the growth of your faith.
- Remain Steadfast in Faith: Be a pillar of faith, remain unwavering in your trust in God, and set an example for your family to follow.
- Set Aside Doubt: Help your children overcome doubt by emphasizing the importance of a single-minded, unwavering faith in God.
- Be a Source of Wisdom: As a father, be a source of wisdom for your family, providing them with Godly guidance and answers to their questions.
- Live Out God’s Goodness: In your actions and words, consistently demonstrate God’s goodness to your family and the world. Show them how God’s goodness can be seen in your daily life, even during trials.
By applying these principles from Job 19:25, you can set an example for your family and live out your faith in a way that brings glory to God and provides support and inspiration to your loved ones, even in the midst of suffering.
