Finding God's Comfort # 5

Finding God's Comfort # 5

Just how much Job really did know of the character of God, we cannot tell. He certainly believed now, that if he could come before God he would meet a friend. We live in full gospel light, and we know that God is our truest and best friend! He is our Father - we need never fear to go to Him. His almighty power is not used to oppose us, to break us and crush us. He gives heed unto our cries. He loves us. All His omnipotence is on our side. No mother's heart was ever so full of love for her child - as is the heart of God for us, His children.

Though clouds darkened his sky, Job's faith was not clouded. He said, "He hides himself...that I cannot see Him. But He knows the way that I take." God is invisible - and we cannot see Him - but our eyes get no glimpse of Him. We cannot lay our hand upon Him. We cannot see His face. Yet we know that while He is not visible to our sight - He sees us always and knows our way. He knows where we are, what we are doing, what our circumstances and experiences are. There is wonderful comfort in this for us, especially when we are in the midst of dangers and trials. "He knows!"

There is a beautiful illustration of this in the Gospels. One night Jesus sent His disciples out upon the sea, in the boat, to go to the other side - but He did not go with them. In the night a great storm arose, and the disciples were alone. They were in great distress. We can imagine their looking to the right and to the left, forward and back - but they could not find their Master. Meanwhile, however, though unseen by them, He was looking down upon them in tender love from the mountain top. He knew the way that they took in the darkness on the sea. His eye was upon them in all their danger; and we well know, that they could not have perished in the storm, for He was caring for them. In our experience, it may often be that we cannot find God; that we cannot see Him; that He shall elude our search, and not answer to our cry, and not come when we call for Him. Yet it is a precious comfort that in all such cases - He knows the way that we take, where we are, and what we are suffering. We are never out of His sight! We are never forgotten by His love! Always "He knows," and that is enough. "Your Father knows what things you have need of, before you ask him." "The Lord knows those who are His." "The eyes of Jehovah are toward the righteous. And His ears are open unto their cry."

Job's faith enabled him to say, "When He has tried me - I shall come forth as gold!" Another translation of this verse is: "He is trying me - I shall come forth as gold." Job had caught the true meaning of his suffering. It was trial - testing, as gold is tried and tested. He felt sure, too, that the trials, sore as they were - would not do him any real harm. We have all the light of divine revelation, on this mystery of pain and suffering, and we know that what Job had here learned as in a glimmering shadow - is the blessed truth about trial. God chastens, always to profit His children. He sends trouble - to prove us and to establish us, to make us strong, to cleanse us from sin, and to bring out in us the divine graces. We are all the while being tested and proved. Trials show us what is in us.

Someone says that afflictions are to the soul - as a driving rain to a house. The water comes through the roof. The owner did not know in the long dry season, that there were holes and crannies in the roof. The storm simply revealed them. Just so, we do not suspect our weak points - until temptation comes; then we find them out. So in many Christians, there are noble qualities of character which do not appear in the common experiences of life - but which come out in severe afflictions.

On a sinking ship there was only one life belt, and it was the captain's. There was a poor lad on board - a stowaway. The captain took his own life belt and gave it to the boy, himself perishing in the waters. No one would have suspected this grandeur of soul in the captain an hour before. Like revealings of character are made continually in life - on the playground, in homes, in times of danger, in the sickroom. People whom we supposed, thought only of themselves, are found to have hearts of unselfish love. Those whom we thought weak or timid, are proved strong and heroic. We are on trial all the time, and the experiences of life show what is truly in us. Well is it for us - if we always come forth as gold!

Confession and Restoration

After Job's three friends had talked with him for a time, a new speaker appeared. This was Elihu. His anger was kindled both against Job and his three friends, and his speech was intended to justify God. He was a young man - but his words were wise and wonderfully full of instruction on the great problem of suffering.

Finally, God Himself answers Job out of the storm. Job is awed and humbled by the words of God, by the sense of His majesty and holiness, and he speaks penitently and softly. God spoke with His power, and Job said: "I know that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted." Man's power is limited. We cannot do what we desire. Many of our purposes are restrained. We want to do good and beautiful things, and we try - but our achievements fall far below our aspirations. Our clumsy hands cannot fashion the lovely Christian character, that our hearts dreamed. Our faltering weakness cannot do the brave things our souls aspire to do.

~J. R. Miller~

(continued with # 6)