I recently finished reading the book of Job and if I am being totally honest, I struggle to reconcile the God I know with the God who gave Satan permission to destroy everything just short of taking Job’s life. What is the purpose of Job’s story?

Romans 15:4 says “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”

I have been through a series of very trying events over the past 6 months, and because of that, I began reading the book of Job with a bit of dread. My initial plan was to just get through it. But before I read, I always pray “what do you want me to know about YOU, God?” So, I read, but I also LISTENED. I heard Him speak things to me through His word that I hadn’t heard before when my life was rolling along easy-peasy! In chapter 26, Job is ascribing to God the power that belongs to Him alone. After he lists multiple examples of God’s great power, he says in vs 14 “And these are but the outer fringe of His works; how faint the whisper we hear of Him! Who then can understand the thunder of His power?” So, during my own season of testing, I could hear God telling me that what I see and hear of Him here on earth doesn’t come close to the promise of what my “someday” will be. “Hang on, trust me. I know what I’m doing. Things will one day be better than you could imagine!”

Can you see how critical every story in scripture is for giving us another glimpse of God? When we view every story from the Creation Account to The Revelation of Jesus Christ, we get a picture of the character of God. Is there any story that could be left out?

I think it’s probable that your own story could give the people in your life yet another glimpse of God! Are you holding back your testimony because you don’t think it has significance? Frankly, that is up to GOD to determine, and I know that He has given you a story that isn’t like anyone else’s.

Starting in August with my husband and I getting Covid on vacation, a series of events/changes began to unfold. Along with being sick, we had a LOT of issues with our condo, and Rick was so sick it necessitated a trip to the ER. While still on vacation, my oldest brother called to say that he had cancer. He died 5 weeks after diagnosis, and I was there when he took his last breath. The day after his funeral, I was in the ER and found out I have some health issues that will need to be monitored regularly. About this time, we learned that Rick’s retirement was going to be able to begin a little sooner than we thought, so we went to work navigating that change. I had anxiety that I hadn’t experienced in years. One sleepless night, I was in pain, couldn’t find a comfortable position and my mind would NOT shut down. I was so exhausted, and I literally cried out and begged God to take away the pain and let me sleep. I had just finished the prayer, and I INSTANTLY felt “held.” I have no other words to describe it. The next thing I knew, I was waking up. I had gone to sleep soundly. It reminded me that He was hearing every prayer, He knew every struggle and He was going to fix this one immediately!

This became so important to me just a few weeks later when I got the phone call that another of my brothers had died unexpectedly. If not for that night of being held as I slept, I might have felt abandoned by God. I hope if you’re in a season of struggle, this little story can give you some comfort and make God just a little more real to you.

Your story is important. When you share how interactive He has been in your life, you remind people that He is near, and He has good plans for them.

I’d love to hear your story. You can share it here: https://victorychristianchurch.churchcenter.com/pages/share-your-story