BUT NOW

In Job 29, our dear beaten down brother Job, is reminiscing for reprieve. He is recalling to his friends of the authority, favor and respect he once had in his society. He was a man who others came to to receive counsel, he was respected by respectable people, he was admired and looked up to. Then chapter 30 opens with these two fateful words: “But now…” Now, you see, everything has changed for Job. He was once on top and now is on the bottom. Once he had respect, now he is repulsive. He used to have power and now doesn’t even receive pity.

Job’s plight was far from desirable, but there is no doubt in my mind, that many relate to him. Many look at where life has taken them and feel a twinge of the pain that Job felt. Unfortunately, the relating to Job doesn’t stop there. Like Job, many have concluded that God is the culprit behind their catastrophe. The reality is that the enemy of Job’s soul was culprit. He was the one who was relentlessly attacking him and it was God who was graciously preserving him. In the end, when the curtain is fully up, Job finally sees. My encouragement to you, if you are in the ringer, is to not turn against God, your Protector. Instead of looking at your past, comparing it to your present, defeatedly concluding like Job with the phrase, “But now…”, may we look up to the heavens and cry “I don’t know why I’m going through this, but I know that You are good!” May we never let go of God’s goodness and grace. No matter what you are facing, it doesn’t change the perfect character of God. We may question many things, but may we never question Him.