What is the mesage of Job for us today? Some people find the book of Job sad, others find it comforting, and still others find it hard to understand. Some people think God is making a bet with Satan, others think He gave up on Job, and still others think He is in charge of everything.
As I read, one thing is very clear to me: I have a lot to learn from Job.
What is the Message of Job for Us Today?
When I read the book of Job, it challenges me and gives me hope. God has always been there for me, even when things were really hard. Job’s story shows that I have nothing to worry about, even if things get worse.
As I read, I find myself praying to God to strengthen my faith, hope, and trust in Him so that when I face trials in this life, I can respond like Job. From the first part of Job, we can learn the following lessons.
Walk before the Lord
Job 1 tells us that Job did nothing wrong. He felt sorry for his own wrongdoing and even made sacrifices for his children. (Job 1:1-5)
I’m not always quick to say I’m sorry. And to be honest, I’ve never asked forgiveness for my kids’ mistakes. I have prayed for them, but I have never really begged God to help them. I think that should be different.
There’s a big difference between praying about someone and praying for them. When you pray for them, it makes an even bigger difference. I do that sometimes, but after reading about how Job took care of his kids, I think I’ll do it more. What are your thoughts on that?
Worship God even when things are hard.
Job never stopped calling out to the Lord. Even though his life was terrible, he still had faith in God. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, but we should still bless him. Wow!
In fact, the first thing he did after crying over the deaths of his children was to fall to his knees and praise God, even though he was sad. (Job 1:20)
May God move our hearts so that even when we’ve lost a lot, our true response is worship. Job didn’t worship because he was thankful, but because he had a relationship with God.
Don’t give up your morals.
Job’s wife even told him to curse God and kill himself. But he just sat there and waited for God to save him. He had faith in God’s goodness even though he was going through a lot of bad things. (Job 2:9-10)
Only you can have faith in God. You determine your response. Job is a great illustration of this. Job was the only person who could have said he was a victim and used his life’s events as an excuse to be less honest.
Still, he didn’t give up because he put his hope in God.
You can’t assume that your friends are wise just because they care about you and say they believe in your God.
Even if we love God, we can’t always see things from an eternal point of view. This means that we can give bad advice, even if we don’t think we are. (Job 16:2) Or, we trust reason more than faith.
Job had some good friends, but they couldn’t see God’s hand in what was happening to him. They also didn’t understand how much God cared about Job.
Don’t doubt God when you doubt everything else.
God is wise and knows what to do. He is not confused, scared, or unable, no matter how confused you are or how overwhelmed life makes you. He is God, though. (Job 12:13)
God has made limits for our lives.
God’s power is probably the part of Job that gives me the most comfort. He looked out for Job. He told the enemy where he could go, and that was the end of it. If God has let something into my life, I know He has enough grace to pour over me so I can keep going. (Job 1:12)
What Lessons Can We Learn From Job’s Story?
- Never give up. Job never gave up on life or God, even when things seemed impossible. We should never give up easily as Christians. Even though things may seem hopeless, we have the upper hand because of Christ. We are winners, not losers.
- We shouldn’t curse God. Job’s wife told him to curse God and die, but Job knew better and didn’t do it. God has our best interests in mind. Even if He makes us go through hard things with no way to get out, His love and protection are always with us. God wants us to tell him how angry we are, just like David did in many of his Psalms. Robert Hampshire says, though, that cursing God is a sin. When we start to feel bitter toward God or anyone else, we go against the Creator’s plan for our lives and give Satan an advantage in our lives.
- Things will get better. When Job’s test was over, God gave him back twice as much as he had lost. Even if we lose something, God has something good in mind to make up for it. He often gives us something better and bigger in place of what we’ve lost. So, we shouldn’t give up when things in our lives seem to be going wrong. We should instead wait for God to save us and bring us into a new level of His goodness. Things will get better. We must hold on to God’s unmovable hand and trust that He will take care of our daily needs.
We can learn many things from Job’s story. It reminds us that God is in charge and is always watching over us, even when things are bad.
Read more about Job’s messages: The Main Message of the Book of Job.
I am a Bible writer and teacher. I discovered a love of writing when I was a teenager. My passion comes from seeing lives changed through the power of God’s Word and the help Christ gives.
