Most Christian believers in Jesus Christ have read the OT account of the trails and sufferings of one of God's most faithful servants - Job. Most of us have concluded that this 42 chapter account about Job is all about Suffering. And rightly so, for poor old Job gets slam dunked at the beginning of the book and lives thru terrible suffering through-out the entire story. Job is a faithful servant to God, and his reward is losing his family, his animals, his health, basicly everything he has and owns

Well, are you ready for this. The Book of Job is not so much about suffering as it is about faith in its starkest form. You see, i have been on my own Job journey over this past year. The " dark night of my soul " as i like to view it. And i have been searching for the divine purpose for so much of our human suffering. I will share with you during this next week what i have found. Maybe what God has shared with me will help some of you out there who are also going thru your own " dark night of your soul" experience

I have been looking for answers to several questions. Among them : is God unfair, is God silent, is God hidden, does He care, does He love us and where is God when we suffer ?

The Book of Job talks alot about Job living thru much pain and suffering. But what we need to understand is that Job's personal drama on earth had its origin in a cosmic drama in heaven. Many ask what did Job do wrong - nothing. Why then is Job suffering ? Not for punishment. Far from it, he has been selected as the principal player in a great contest of the heavens i call " The Cosmic Wager "

You see, the trouble all starts with satan's claim that Job is a spoiled favorite, loyal only because God has put a hedge of protection around him. If times ever get tough for Christians, satan charges that they will quickly abandon God. When God accepts the challenge to test satan's theory, thus consenting to let Job's response settle the issue, the calamities begin to rain down on poor, unsuspecting Job

Yes this is quite a strange heavenly contest. On the other hand, we cannot sidestep the account of the " Cosmic Wager " in Job. For it offers us a rare peek through the keyhole of eternity. When people experience pain, questions spill out : why me, whats going on, does God care, is there a God and is God being unfair with us ? This one time in the scriptures, we are given a view behind the curtain. We get to see how the world is run by God. The Book of Job shows us God's point of view, including the supernatural activity normally hidden from us

Bottom line, its Job and his faith that is on trial here. The point of the book is not suffering. The point is about faith. Where is Job when it hurts, how is he responding
 

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James 5:10-11  " my brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord as an example of suffering and patience. Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord-that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful "
 
 

remember : Jesus loves you

Gary