“After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before. All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the Lord had brought on him, and each one gave him a piece of silver and a gold ring. After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. And so Job died, an old man and full of years.” Job 42:10-11, 16-17
I’ve reached the last chapter of Job in the online Bible study. Job is an old man, and the learned in our fallen world would not want him to run for another 4 years being the leader of our country. Boy, has he seen and also endured a lot of challenges. Our brothers and sisters living in Haiti could draw a lot of encouragement from his life. One major item on the bucket list of many believers is to live a wholesome, healthy life while reaching maturity before death overtakes us as we enter into the promised land.
I am hopeful that is what God’s Will is for our lives. It seems that was His will for Job. Reading chapter 42, it appears that Job accomplished it; he reached that goal. We read that he died an old man and full of days. He lived the rest of his 140 years full of enthusiasm and passion. I will be pleased if my years number only half of that.
For the Haitian children and their parents living in PAP, when trouble comes into their neighborhood, they have two options. They can view it as an intrusion, an outrage, a terrible challenge or they can see it as another opportunity to respond in obedience to God's will; that rugged virtue that James calls ‘endurance.’
Endurance is staying on the path of obedience despite how painful that may be in your challenge. Endurance; it's a choice in the midst of our suffering to do what God has asked us to do, whatever it is, and for as long as He asks us to do it. Where are you today? I don’t know what you are facing today but I can only imagine what hell filled challenge the children in Haiti are facing today; especially in PAP. Where is your journey leading you? More important, which option have you chosen? Is it becoming more unbearable to face that challenge with every new morning and seeing it still facing you? Please try hard not to forget the lessons Job teaches us about ourselves, our challenges and God’s Will. It will make an enormous difference. As you and the children in Haiti grow older, keep growing up and becoming more mature and draw closer to Christ. And, instead of simply reading and studying about the life of Job, begin living that kind of life. That makes all the sense in the world on this side of Paradise, doesn't it?
Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.
May God be with you,
Jay