But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. Job 23:10 For God to produce a believer that radiates and reflects Yeshua, it’s going to take some refining. There’s no other way around it.
It would be nice if we, His children, would simply submit ourselves to the instructions of the the Word of God and do what it says. It sounds so simple. “Just do what you’re told,” we say to the wayward child. You think the child would say: “Got it Dad. You won’t have to worry about me anymore. I’ll do what I’m told.” But, everybody knows … it just doesn’t work that way.
It takes years of parenting to hopefully get the child ready to go out and live life. It then takes a whole bunch more years before that young adult eases into becoming a maturing adult. It then takes many more years after that — and well … by that time you hope you’re ready to go and be with Yeshua.
In essence, the whole book of Job is about one man going through God’s refining process. It’s quite the journey. It is a very enlightening journey to walk this book with Job.
It’s taken me many years to be able to actually enter into the wisdom packed into this book. I don’t have it all down but I’m seeing things in this book I’ve never had the ability to comprehend before.
Like this verse: God knows; God tries; God brings forth.
God knows. I’m finding much more comfort in the reality that whatever we do, or wherever we go, or whatever happens to us God knows all about it. Nothing is taking God by surprise when it comes to our lives. He is minutely involved even down to knowing the hairs of my increasingly balding head. And come to think of it: why didn’t He do something about that?
God tries. Think about it: God thinks about us. He is so concerned for our spiritual development that He comes up with ways to bring it about. Sometimes He blesses; and, sometimes He tries. He knows what we need. And we know that, as much as we like the blessings, it is in and through the trials that God does His best pruning work on us. Constantly left to ourselves we would do whatever is right in our own eyes — just like our ancestors of old in the Bible.
God brings forth. No need to worry. God always accomplishes His goals with His children. Granted, it’s not always quick or easy but He is bound-and-determined to conform us to Yeshua. We can be confident that what God has begun in us He will perform it until the day of Yeshua Messiah.
I read the Bible starting at Genesis and work my way through to Revelation. I’ve done this for many years. I don’t know how long it takes me to get through the Bible. (It’s not in a year.) I don’t know how many times I’ve read it through. But, the blessing is that I always seem to be walking through the Bible in tandem with what God is doing in my life. It’s amazing really.
This time through Job it’s about leaning to walk by faith and not by sight — to trust God even when He doesn’t always seem to be near. It’s realizing that my Redeemer ever lives and that His watchful care is always upon me … even when it doesn’t seem like it in the moment.
Has it been awhile since you’ve read the book of Job? Don’t just jump there. Start at Genesis and walk along with God to Job and see what He has in store for you. It’ll be different each time, but that’s the fun.
Do you remember the song:
He's still working on me To make me what I need to be It took him just a week to make the moon and stars The sun and the earth and Jupiter and Mars How loving and patient He must be 'Cause He's still workin' on me
And you know what … He is :-)