Happy is the Person God Corrects
When Satan was allowed to strike Job with terrible boils and change his whole appearance, his friends came to comfort him. They did not do a very good job of that, because they assumed that God was punishing Job for some sins he had committed, which was not true. However, they did say some things that are very true, and from which we can learn. Eliphaz made a great point when he told Job that a person whom God corrects should be happy and not despise the chastening, because God bruises, but He binds up, and He wounds us, but His hands make us whole again. (Job 5:17,18)
Job suffered greatly, but it all had a purpose. It was to prove Job's faith in God to Satan and to everyone. Also, it served the purpose of bringing Job even closer to the Lord than he was already. Both of those things should have made Job happy, but he could not see those things in the beginning of his trial. It is the same way with us, so we have to trust that when those bad things happen to us, God allows them for a reason, and we should be set on growing closer to God through them. Also, we should be well assured that when God breaks us down, He will build us up again. In Job's case he just had to wait a while for God to bind him up, because he had not sinned to cause it all. However, with us we need to confess our sins, and repent, so God can restore us and make our wounds whole again. Either way, God is in the restoration business. He does not break us to hurt us, but to help us, so we can be happy, no matter what happens in life.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Job 6-9.
Job suffered greatly, but it all had a purpose. It was to prove Job's faith in God to Satan and to everyone. Also, it served the purpose of bringing Job even closer to the Lord than he was already. Both of those things should have made Job happy, but he could not see those things in the beginning of his trial. It is the same way with us, so we have to trust that when those bad things happen to us, God allows them for a reason, and we should be set on growing closer to God through them. Also, we should be well assured that when God breaks us down, He will build us up again. In Job's case he just had to wait a while for God to bind him up, because he had not sinned to cause it all. However, with us we need to confess our sins, and repent, so God can restore us and make our wounds whole again. Either way, God is in the restoration business. He does not break us to hurt us, but to help us, so we can be happy, no matter what happens in life.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Job 6-9.