My Goal

SCRIPTURE: Job :10-13
¹⁰ But he knows the way that I take;
when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.
¹¹ My feet have closely followed his steps;
I have kept to his way without turning aside.
¹² I have not departed from the commands of his lips;
I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.

OBSERVATION: These verses caught my attention. Job makes this declaration about himself in the face of the worst kind of suffering. His kids have all been killed, his wife has turned away from him, his health and wealth have been stripped from him, and his friends are insisting that he has done evil and turned from God or all this tragedy would not be happening to him. I have such admiration for Job. In the midst of all this, he still considers it important to follow God and to treasure and obey his words. He does give voice to his complaint of not understanding why he is going through this and his wish to state his case to God and ask "why?". But I do not fault him for that. It is certainly understandable that he did so. He was still committed to obedience to God even though he was stupefied by what was happening to him.

APPLICATION: I so want to have Job's declaration about himself be true of me! I think it is a laudable goal to have for my life. I want to be able to say that I have been steadfast in devotion to God in spite of any loss or unjust accusations or betrayals by friends and to know that when God has tested me, I will come forth as gold.

PRAYER: Take my heart and let it be consecrated, Lord, to thee! This is my goal; to always serve you in spite of anything I may be going through. I trust you to keep me and to work out the pain in my life in a redemptive fashion that will be for my ultimate good. You suffered unjustly too, and because you stayed obedient, I have redemption, a future and a hope! May I be more and more like you. In Jesus' Name I pray, Amen.