Through the Bible in 66 Days - Job

 

The book of Job is one of the oldest pieces of literature in the world, yet it tackles one of the most modern questions we ever ask: Why would God allow suffering? If you've ever felt life was unfair, if you've ever been bullied, broken, or bewildered, Job is your companion. It doesn't give easy answers—but it does introduce to God and the way He operates.

Job begins by pulling back the curtain on a conversation we would never have known about unless God had told us about it. Satan, the accuser, sneers that Job only loves God because his life is comfortable. "Take away the blessings," he says, "and Job will curse You to Your face." But God knows His servant. He knows Job's faith is real. And so, to silence Satan and to demonstrate the authenticity of true faith, God allows Job to be tested.

What follows is devastating. Job loses his business, his animals, his servants, his family, and finally his health. He ends up sitting on an ash heap, scraping his sores with broken pottery. If anyone ever had the right to accuse God of cruelty, surely it was Job. Yet he never curses God. He wrestles, he weeps, he questions—but he clings on to his faith in God, just as God said he would.

Most of the book is a long, painful conversation between Job and his friends. They try to explain his suffering with neat formulas: "Good things happen to good people, bad things happen to bad people—so Job, you must have sinned." Their theology is tidy, but it's wrong. Job knows he hasn't done anything to deserve this, and he refuses to pretend otherwise. His friends defend their beliefs; Job defends his integrity. And in the middle of it all sits the great question: Why would God allow this?

But here's the remarkable thing: when God finally speaks, He doesn't answer Job's questions. Instead, He reveals Himself. He takes Job on a tour of creation—its vastness, complexity, and wildness—and shows him that the world is far bigger, deeper, and more intricate than he ever imagined. God isn't avoiding the question; He's lifting Job's eyes. Job wanted explanations. God gave him Himself.

And that is the turning point. Job discovers that knowing God is better than knowing the reasons. His suffering becomes the doorway to a deeper relationship with the living God—something he could never have gained through comfort. As he says, "My ears had heard of You, but now my eyes have seen You."

This is where the gospel shines through the book of Job. The New Testament tells us that suffering is not a sign of God's absence but often the place where His love is most clearly seen. Peter writes, 'In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,' 1 Peter 1:6–7. Paul reminds us that 'suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope,' Rom. 5:3–4. And the Lord Jesus Himself, who was 'a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief', shows us that God does not stand far off from pain; He enters it, bears it, and offers salvation as a result of His death and resurrection.

Job's story casts a shadow that reveals the suffering of the cross. The Lord Jesus is the ultimate righteous sufferer, facing satanic accusations. God allows suffering not because He is cruel, but because He is accomplishing something bigger than we can see. And as a result, there is a final restoration that far outweighs the pain.

So what does Job say to you when life isn't fair? When you're hurting? When you're tempted to give up? It says this: God is bigger than your suffering, nearer than your tears, and better than your explanations. You may not get the answers you want, but you will get the God you need. And in the gospel, we see the ultimate proof that God can take the darkest moment in history—the cross—and turn it into the greatest good the world has ever known.

Job teaches us that suffering is not the end of the story. God is. And those who trust Him discover His character in a way they never could have known otherwise.

All photos courtesy of Unsplash

Queen Elizabeth II

 

Three years ago this week Queen Elizabeth II died at the age of 96 surrounded by her family. In the year of her Platinum Jubilee, the longest serving monarch passed away at her beloved Scottish estate, Balmoral. 

Buckingham Palace made the simple announcement at 6.30pm on Thursday 8 September 2022, stating: "The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow."

For 70 years Her Majesty The Queen had been the centre of our culture. The Queen’s image has adorned billions of coins and banknotes and sat proudly on letters carrying good news and bad. Her name has been given to places near and far, buildings, ships and train lines. She sat for hundreds of portraits and inspired thousands more. She had been imitated more than any other public figure, BUT there was only one original. 

On Friday 3 June 2022 Stephen Cottrell, the Archbishop of York delivered the sermon in St Paul's Cathedral during a service to mark and celebrate Her Majesty the Queen's Platinum Jubilee and the very original person she was. On that occasion he reminded us that, “Jesus is worth following because Jesus shows us who God is, and what our humanity could be. And there are many occasions in the gospels where we see Jesus Himself, faithful to His vocation, seeking out places of replenishing so that He can learn God’s way. The purpose of the Christian faith is to know and to do God’s will.

Who would you like to spend a day with?

Think about the things we do everyday—go to work, spend time with our family, eat, or maybe watch TV. Whether it’s helping others or getting rest, we find value in all of these things. But do we see value in spending time with our Creator? God created us to spend time with Him. By doing so, we are honouring Him, helping others, and getting spiritual rest and peace.

Does the weather affect your mood?

What was the first thing you noticed this morning when you got up? Maybe I should reword that. I am not thinking about your beautiful spouse or children. My question really is – did you notice if it was sunny or rainy? Did the weather annoy you or concern you?

Some summers are really a bit of a non-event. I’ll not go into the precise statistics, but it seems that often summers come and go with little evidence that we actually had one.

Life is like that for a lot of us. Some people feel that it has passed them by. The dreams of yesterday never quite became the reality of today. The wish list remained just that – a wish list. If only.  Life need not be like that. I believe that God’s desire for humanity is to lift our gaze from the mundane things of life and to give us hope, but more of that in a moment.

A Diamond Rush

All photos courtesy of Unsplash 

South Africa is famous for its diamonds. Not many ‘world records’ stand for more than a century, but a diamond discovered in that country in 1905 remains the largest ever found. So when, a few months ago, a cattle herder unearthed a promising-looking stone near a village in the east of the country, he hoped that it was that precious mineral. Word spread, and by mid-June this year many people had arrived, from different parts, to dig in the earth. Most were poor, and longed to discover gems that would lift them out of poverty.The Bible describes a poverty that is not material, but spiritual, and which affects not just a high proportion of the population, but all of it: the condition of sin, which afflicts all of mankind. The wealthiest are not exempt: the Lord Jesus spoke of "a certain rich man" who was "not rich toward God" Luke 12.21. In Scriptures such as Luke 7.40-50, sin is likened to a huge debt, which we cannot pay. Hence, if left to ourselves, we would remain unforgiven, to suffer the consequences, in the Lake of Fire: a state of unending spiritual poverty, with no hope of escape.

Facing death - a personal testimony

Photos courtesy of Unsplash

Some months are particularly difficult months in terms of memories. They see anniversaries of deep loss come and go. Somebody once said 'how strange it is, to think that we pass the anniversary of our death every year not knowing which day it will be'. The day our soul will slip invisibly from this tangible, material, everyday world, into the timeless existence of the never-ending hereafter. Do you believe in an ever after? I guess it's much easier not to - but does that belief change what will be?

A hopeless situation!

 

Death seems hopeless, but let me remind you that there is hope to be found in Jesus, even in a hopeless situation.

Facing Death

Before Covid, from time to time, I visited people who were sick. Sometimes I called at their homes, but often I popped into the hospital to see them. Hospitals can be very sad places. The circumstances and struggles of life and the prospect of facing death are often confronted head-on in a hospital.

Nurses, Doctors, Porters and Cleaners are often amazing people. Their skills and abilities far exceed the basic requirement to clean, transport and provide medical care. Usually, these unrecognised people have a kind word to say and the ability to encourage, amuse, and lift a person’s spirit. They are quite an amazing group of people.

Is Jesus alive?

The Lord Jesus Christ is no ordinary person. I make this statement in the present tense because I believe that the Lord Jesus is not just a figure of history but he is, today, still alive in heaven. I don't mean alive in the way we might think about a relative who has died and hope is now in heaven. As a Christian I believe people who have turned from their sin and accepted Jesus as their Saviour will be in heaven when they die but this is not my point at the moment. I mean that Jesus is alive, physically in heaven. 

The dawn of a new day

Here I am in Northern Ireland. It's Monday. I got up, eventually, at 0430. Left the house at 0445. In case your wondering I showered and shaved yesterday! Once a week is enough - I thought that was the new norm in these days of reduced carbon footprints! I arrived at Liverpool John Lennon Airport after dropping off my car for secure parking at 0520.

I had the time so I settled down to eat a bacon and cheese croissant and a coffee. Getting my priorities right as always!

The flight left early but the lady across the isle from me was in a bit of a panic. She had left her phone, in a bright green case, in the security area and just realised her predicament as we pulled away from the stand. She was phoning on her daughter's phone but seemed to eventually find a solution.

The flight was uneventful. There was the quiet hum of chatter and the steady rise and fall of sleepy breathing as we headed out across the Irish Sea. We were soon passing the Isle of Man in the stillness of the morning finally commencing our descent over Lough Neagh into Belfast International.

We arrived on time, just after dawn had cast its glorious light across the landscape. What beauty to see the gradual departure of darkness and to welcome the light of a new day. This got me thinking about a new day and it's dawning.

We just take it for granted that we will see each new day. When a person has been ill or has come face to face with death they tend to value each day and to be extremely grateful for it. The good book, the Bible, states 'boast not yourself of tomorrow for you know not what a day will bring forth,' Proverbs 27.1.

The freshness of each new day is a privledge that many of us enjoy. However many people dread the dawn of a new day. When you are staring illness in the face and wondering if you'll make it through another day the start of the day can be quite daunting. Having said that the darkness of night can be like an eternity going on for ever and the dawn of the day can be a welcome relief. How do you get through the day when you are in these circumstances? I am convinced that we are designed to need God in our lives not as an external crutch but as an essential vibrant part of our lives. Men, like Paul, in the scriptures faced death on a daily basis. Sometimes through persecution and on other occasions because of the dangers of travel. Paul admitted that he could only carry on in God's strength. Verses such as 'your strength (God's) is made perfect in weakness' or 'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me'.

What Paul experienced only works if you a believer in Jesus Christ. If you have never had a conversion experience then you are not a true believer. To use biblical language you need to be saved, converted or born again. This happens when you admit and confess your sin (to God, not to a priest) and ask Jesus Christ (by praying to Him) to save you.

The scripture says the following:

1 Corinthians 15:3-4 'For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures'

Acts 13:38-39 'Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses'

If you would like to be right with God and know His power for living please get in touch through Facebook (StephenBakerGoodNews4U), Twitter (@TMssingPeace) or by email stepcar61@gmail.com.


- Posted from Seek the Truth Bible Media