Job 29:2 Oh that I were as in months past, as in the days when God preserved me.
Oh Friends, I now remember why I don’t go out much during the late afternoon or early evening hours of the summer months. The traffic, normally horrendous, becomes horrific with the addition of roadwork on seemingly every corner. I left home last evening around five thirty to go into the lovely city of Toronto. Normally, even with heavy traffic, that would take me about 45 minutes. Yesterday it took me 90, and only because I went along many back roads, some of which I haven’t travelled in numerous years, for every major road resembled a parking lot rather than a highway. I haven’t seen it that bad in a long while. And coming home around ten p.m wasn’t much better, for two of the three major highways were again clogged with traffic. So I also ended up taking the back roads home. But Friends, you would have been most proud of the ole fella, because I didn’t get angry, didn’t complain too much, just went along stoically, listening to the music, forcing myself to remain calm. A few years ago, under the same conditions, I would have been most annoyed, probably turned around and gone back home. But it seems like the ole fella’s maturing in that respect. ‘Praise the Lord!’ Still my people, sometimes the summer driving up here just makes you long for winter, or the good old days, when traffic was not as bad. It makes you want to declare like Job: ‘Oh that I were as in months past, as in the days when God preserved (watched over) me.’ And who wouldn’t eh? Just listen to Job’s history before sudden disaster struck. ‘Job…that man was perfect (blameless) and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed (shunned) evil.’ He had 7 sons and 3 daughters, along with ‘seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east.’ And after his sons and daughters had feasted, ‘Job sent and sanctified them (consecrated them, set them apart), and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually (regularly). (Job 1:1-5) Wow! Job was wealthy, also of excellent character and integrity, so he was well respected, a popular judge, and a generous benefactor to his people, and his sons seemed to be cut from the same cloth. Above all though, Job was considered a righteous man in God’s eyes. Now that’s the best compliment any human can ever receive my people. So why did all this disaster and tribulation suddenly befall him? Obviously because of the evil one, Beelzebub. One day he came before God with the Lord’s other sons and when they got to talking, the Lord boasted about His most excellent servant Job: ‘that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God and escheweth evil.’ ( Job 1:8) But the evil one claimed that was only because the Lord protected him. ‘Hast thou not made a hedge (of protection) about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance (possessions) is increased in the land. But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.’ (Job 1:10-11) The Lord agreed, so sure was He of Job, the only exception being that his life be spared. Then the calamity began in Job’s life. Poor Fella. Oh Friends, many of us are undergoing some calamitous times too, which don’t seem to derive from any wrongdoing or negative action on our part. And quite rightly, we’re wondering why the sudden tribulation, when we were truly trying to be righteous? Oh my people, unfortunately I have no definite or distinct answer for that. But I can say with full confidence that the good Lord sees and knows all that we’re enduring, and for some purpose, higher than we can comprehend, He’s allowing the negative activity to overtake our lives. All we can do is take solace from Job’s story. He did nothing wrong, in fact the Lord had the utmost confidence in him, that’s why He allowed Lucifer to rain on his parade. So if we’ve been trying to follow God, be obedient to His will, but tribulation is sadly overtaking us, the best way to handle it is to assume that God’s testing us. He’s testing our trust, faithfulness, obedience, reverence and LOVE for Him. There can’t be any other reason, since our God does not go out of His way to punish or make life hard for those who genuinely seek Him. Let’s behave like Job; stand strong, steadfast, faithful and true, with the attitude that ‘Though he slay me, yet will I trust him.’ (Job 13:15) Yes my people, that’s the only way to live this crazy, unpredictable life without going crazy ourselves. We need to acquire and show a true, unquenchable faith in the Most High God Jehovah, that even though he allows deadly storms in our lives, we’ll go down trusting Him. Oh Friends, the times are hard, but please remember that God is still in control, and He never allows us to undergo anything, good or bad, without a good reason. We may not understand it, but the faith which we live by, that ‘substance (realization) of things hoped for, the evidence (conviction) of things not seen,’ (Heb.11:1) should be strong enough to keep us keeping on, persevering to the end, knowing that eventually things will change, will improve. My people, it did for Job, so why not for us eh? ‘So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning.’ (Job 42:12) Again Friends, if the Lord could give Job so much more than he’d lost, what’s preventing Him from doing the same for us? Nothing! But we have to behave like Job did while we’re going through our own trials and tribulations. My brethren, it’s of the utmost importance that we stand strong, that we let our faith, in conjunction with the Holy Spirit, lead us on a righteous path, regardless of the problems we encounter. It’s not easy. It’s never easy, as Job’s experience shows. But Friends, it’s not impossible. Please remember that with our God’s help, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE in this universe that He created. So let’s see if we can turn down the worry and anxiety as the troubles come pouring down nuh. If we do that, eventually we’ll end up victorious! Much LOVE!…for we live…by faith…not by sight…
Oh Friends, I now remember why I don’t go out much during the late afternoon or early evening hours of the summer months. The traffic, normally horrendous, becomes horrific with the addition of roadwork on seemingly every corner. I left home last evening around five thirty to go into the lovely city of Toronto. Normally, even with heavy traffic, that would take me about 45 minutes. Yesterday it took me 90, and only because I went along many back roads, some of which I haven’t travelled in numerous years, for every major road resembled a parking lot rather than a highway. I haven’t seen it that bad in a long while. And coming home around ten p.m wasn’t much better, for two of the three major highways were again clogged with traffic. So I also ended up taking the back roads home. But Friends, you would have been most proud of the ole fella, because I didn’t get angry, didn’t complain too much, just went along stoically, listening to the music, forcing myself to remain calm. A few years ago, under the same conditions, I would have been most annoyed, probably turned around and gone back home. But it seems like the ole fella’s maturing in that respect. ‘Praise the Lord!’ Still my people, sometimes the summer driving up here just makes you long for winter, or the good old days, when traffic was not as bad. It makes you want to declare like Job: ‘Oh that I were as in months past, as in the days when God preserved (watched over) me.’ And who wouldn’t eh? Just listen to Job’s history before sudden disaster struck. ‘Job…that man was perfect (blameless) and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed (shunned) evil.’ He had 7 sons and 3 daughters, along with ‘seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east.’ And after his sons and daughters had feasted, ‘Job sent and sanctified them (consecrated them, set them apart), and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually (regularly). (Job 1:1-5) Wow! Job was wealthy, also of excellent character and integrity, so he was well respected, a popular judge, and a generous benefactor to his people, and his sons seemed to be cut from the same cloth. Above all though, Job was considered a righteous man in God’s eyes. Now that’s the best compliment any human can ever receive my people. So why did all this disaster and tribulation suddenly befall him? Obviously because of the evil one, Beelzebub. One day he came before God with the Lord’s other sons and when they got to talking, the Lord boasted about His most excellent servant Job: ‘that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God and escheweth evil.’ ( Job 1:8) But the evil one claimed that was only because the Lord protected him. ‘Hast thou not made a hedge (of protection) about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance (possessions) is increased in the land. But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.’ (Job 1:10-11) The Lord agreed, so sure was He of Job, the only exception being that his life be spared. Then the calamity began in Job’s life. Poor Fella. Oh Friends, many of us are undergoing some calamitous times too, which don’t seem to derive from any wrongdoing or negative action on our part. And quite rightly, we’re wondering why the sudden tribulation, when we were truly trying to be righteous? Oh my people, unfortunately I have no definite or distinct answer for that. But I can say with full confidence that the good Lord sees and knows all that we’re enduring, and for some purpose, higher than we can comprehend, He’s allowing the negative activity to overtake our lives. All we can do is take solace from Job’s story. He did nothing wrong, in fact the Lord had the utmost confidence in him, that’s why He allowed Lucifer to rain on his parade. So if we’ve been trying to follow God, be obedient to His will, but tribulation is sadly overtaking us, the best way to handle it is to assume that God’s testing us. He’s testing our trust, faithfulness, obedience, reverence and LOVE for Him. There can’t be any other reason, since our God does not go out of His way to punish or make life hard for those who genuinely seek Him. Let’s behave like Job; stand strong, steadfast, faithful and true, with the attitude that ‘Though he slay me, yet will I trust him.’ (Job 13:15) Yes my people, that’s the only way to live this crazy, unpredictable life without going crazy ourselves. We need to acquire and show a true, unquenchable faith in the Most High God Jehovah, that even though he allows deadly storms in our lives, we’ll go down trusting Him. Oh Friends, the times are hard, but please remember that God is still in control, and He never allows us to undergo anything, good or bad, without a good reason. We may not understand it, but the faith which we live by, that ‘substance (realization) of things hoped for, the evidence (conviction) of things not seen,’ (Heb.11:1) should be strong enough to keep us keeping on, persevering to the end, knowing that eventually things will change, will improve. My people, it did for Job, so why not for us eh? ‘So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning.’ (Job 42:12) Again Friends, if the Lord could give Job so much more than he’d lost, what’s preventing Him from doing the same for us? Nothing! But we have to behave like Job did while we’re going through our own trials and tribulations. My brethren, it’s of the utmost importance that we stand strong, that we let our faith, in conjunction with the Holy Spirit, lead us on a righteous path, regardless of the problems we encounter. It’s not easy. It’s never easy, as Job’s experience shows. But Friends, it’s not impossible. Please remember that with our God’s help, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE in this universe that He created. So let’s see if we can turn down the worry and anxiety as the troubles come pouring down nuh. If we do that, eventually we’ll end up victorious! Much LOVE!…for we live…by faith…not by sight…
SCRIP-BITS 