July 15 – Grief and Worship (Job 1:13-22)

“At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship.”(Job 1:20)

IN WORD:
What is your response when your trials are most severe? If you’re like most, worship is not your first reaction. In fact, we often criticize God, question His goodness, and ask pointed questions about why this had to happen to us — a whole ritual of self-pity — long before we come to a place of true worship.
Worship was Job’s first reaction. His livelihood (i.e., his oxen and donkeys) had been stolen. His transportation (i.e., his camels) had been stolen. And his children (i.e., his legacy) had been killed. All of this in one day! And Job’s first reaction, after his initial shock and grief, was not anger, not questions, and not apostasy. It was worship. He violated every psychologist’s formula for the stages of grief.
How could Job do such a thing? Did he know he was under a divine microscope? No, the questions he and his friends wrestle with in the ensuing chapters indicate that he had no idea what was going on. Did he assume that his sins had finally caught up with him? No, he maintained his righteousness throughout the book. So how could he worship? He knew deep down in his heart, two essential facts that most of us question from time to time: (1) God is sovereign, and (2) God is good. Those were givens. Job could worship because whatever was happening, it was under the sovereign hand of a really good God. He didn’t know why bad things were happening, but he knew who watched over him. And despite circumstances, that One who watches over him is worthy.

IN DEED:
It goes against our human nature, doesn’t it? When our lives fall apart, we’re inclined to accuse God of not living up to His end of the bargain. Job remembered that he was not in a bargaining position — never had been. All he had received from God was from His mercy. He knew that the fact that it was now gone had nothing to do with God’s character. When our trials weigh heavily upon us — even when crisis strikes — remember the unchanging, merciful nature of God.

“His love in times past forbids me to think, He’ll leave me at last in trouble to sink.” -John Newton-