Job is a book that become oh-so dear to me when my husband and I walked through not fun, no good, very bad, stinky poo infertility. Yeah, those were rough days. Those days are long gone and by God’s grace I see how God used that time in our lives to bring forth an amazingly good plan that he had in place all along. There are still scars we bear from those days but there are lessons learned that have shaped my life forever.
Lessons in friendship.
Lessons in suffering.
Lessons in who my God is.
God preserved us during those hard days of infertility with a special grace that allowed us to keep living life with a joy and hope. The grief didn’t sweep over us but it was years before we could actually see the picture become more clear. We prayed a lot while things were dim and fuzzy and we asked God to help us learn what he wanted us to learn. He was faithful to show us and lead us to his word.
God led me to the book of Job during those tear filled nights. Never having read through the book of Job I started nightly readings and was in heart breaking awe of all that Job went through. Honestly, I got mad. How could God allow one person to go through so much. It wasn’t the first time I’d run up to Randy’s office with Bible under my arm all in a huff wanting answers. Hello, have you guys read the Bible before? It’s got some really hard stuff to grapple with! But it’s so worth grappling with. Randy would talk things through with me and then I’d go back home to read some more.
During this time I had been praying and asking God regularly to show me if our infertility was out of punishment. I begged him to show me so I could confess to him and make it right. But instead of revealing a specific sin he revealed Job 2:10 to me. Job replied to his wife after she told him to curse God and die, “Shall we accept good from God and not adversity?” And in the moment I read that verse I knew the Holy Spirit was speaking to me and answering my plea to reveal to me if our infertility was punishment.
It was not.
Enter a sigh of relief but also an emotion I can’t even describe when I think of the reality that the living Creator God of the Universe spoke to me personally through is word. Like he really answered my question to him. In real life. No I didn’t hear it out loud but I totally heard him loud and clear in my spirit through those words in Job 2:10. This was more exciting to me than the truth that I wasn’t being punished.
And ever since then the book of Job has had my heart and I became totally smitten with my God. He responded to me in a personal way and I got plum excited about that. This is our God, friends. He talks to us. He hears us and he responds. Often through his word but sometimes in other ways too. It’s worth studying your Bible for this reason alone – to hear from your Creator who knows you better than anyone.
Job 2:10 is the verse that my blog title “Life is a Bowl of Wedgies” is named after. I’m sure Job would be excited to know that he has a virtual name sake here on earth and it has the name wedgie in it.
So when I saw that Lisa Harper was teaching through Job in her next Bible Study I was super excited and knew I’d be ordering it. I’m already loving it. I’m half way through it and made the decision to lead this study at our church. Our planning team meets this week and we will begin praying and asking God to use this book of the Bible to bring comfort and peace and reconciliation to the places in our hearts that are broken and confused. Want to join us? If you’re local just message me. If you’re not local and want to do this study you can check it out through Lifeway. Downloads available.
I love several things about this study:
- Lisa’s Humor – so my style!
- She is seriously transparent and open – like the stuff you aren’t supposed to tell she tells.
- She interviews women at the end of each session who share their stories – amazing!
- Lifeway provides an excellent promo package with the sessions.
Have you ever read the book of Job before? Did you have a hard time with it at first? Maybe still do? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Job is definitely a tough book; but what I love most is Job’s declaration “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.” THAT is rock solid faith. May we all trust like Job!
Indeed it is – rock solid faith! I want more of it. The cost of it scares me sometimes though. But when looking at God’s goodness and grace it compels me to further obedience.
I’m glad you found Job, and realized God speaks to us through His Word. I’m glad our Great Big Huge Majestic Creator speaks to little ole us… specks in the universe, but dearly loved specks.
It’s going to be a great study for you and the women of your church. =)
“dearly loved specks” I like that!
Job is a difficult book to wrap our minds around. But I do love that it was not because of his sin but because of his pleasing walk with God that he was targeted. So often we feel we must have done something wrong when heartbreak touches us. And God’s grace sustained him through it all.
It’s backwards thinking almost – “because of his pleasing walk with God” that he was targeted. Much of the Kingdom or God and his economy is upside down from the way we want to do things in our natural selves. But praise God as you say – his grace sustains us just like it did Job.