This is Part 10 of a 12-Part Series on Grief, Trauma, and Mental Health
Disclaimer: I have no training or background in the field of mental health. The thoughts expressed in this series should, in no way, be taken as professional mental health advice or a substitute for it; they are merely observations and insights that I have gleaned from reading, studying, and praying about these passages in scripture.
What I am about to say is just an observation on my part, but generally speaking, I think it's not unusual to experience a lot of answered prayers and even possibly a miracle or two when you first begin earnestly seeking God. Why? Because Hebrews 11:6 says that, "Without faith it is impossible to please God because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him."
It doesn't say, "He rewards those who go to church every week, tithe 10%, and vote Republican." ... It doesn't say, "He rewards those who work hard, try to be a 'good person', and manage their money well." ... It doesn't say, "He rewards those who work for a non-profit, volunteer their time for charity, and engage in philanthropy" ... And it doesn't say, "He rewards those who never drink, smoke, swear, or watch porn." ... . It says, "He rewards those who earnestly seek Him."
However, if you have been a Christian for any length of time, God will eventually allow you to be tested. ... What is motivating you to seek Him and follow Him? Have you come to a point in your faith where you are seeking and following Him because you expect to be rewarded?
Are we treating God as if He is more like Santa Claus than like Jesus - going to Him with a list of everything we want and believing that as long as we are on the "Nice" List, He will come through for us? Sometimes, especially in the world of "name it and claim it" prosperity theology, over time, prayer can easily evolve into a subtle attempt to force our will upon God.
Whether we believe there is a God or not, we can have a tendency to be our own god. Instead of God creating us in His Image, we frequently create a god in our image! We worship a "god" who thinks the way we think, acts the way we act, affirms everything we believe to be true and never challenges or contradicts those beliefs. We want a judge who is particularly partial to us and our own way of thinking; a judge full of truth and justice when we are the prosecutor or the victim, but a judge full of grace and forgiveness when we are the defense attorney or the defendant.
Job was a mature follower of God who had experienced an abundance of blessings and answered prayers during the first part of his life, not to mention a hedge of supernatural protection surrounding both him and his family. But God was going to allow Satan to test Job's motivation for following Him.
"Satan replied to the Lord, ' ... You have always put a wall of protection around him and his home and his property. You have made him prosper in everything he does. Look how rich he is! But reach out and take away everything he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!"
'All right, you may test him,' the Lord said to Satan." - Job 1:10-12
Children frequently need a reward system in order to do what they are asked. Adults, however, should have the maturity to do the right thing whether or not there is an immediate or obvious "reward", and even when there could be difficult or painful consequences for obedience.
Do we follow God because we love Him, believe Him, and it's the right thing to do? Or do we follow God because we expect that there will eventually be something in it for us? ... Do we follow God only when it makes sense, seems reasonable, or it has the potential to bring us some sort of gain? Or do we follow God even when we don't understand it, like it, or it seems difficult, painful, pointless, or even unfair? ... Do we follow Him in order to bring glory and honor to Him? Or, deep down, are we following Him in order to bring glory and honor to us?
God cares far more about our hearts - our underlying motivation - than He does about our outward behavior. We can be doing all of the "right" things, but for all of the wrong reasons.
In Job 23:10, Job says, "When He tests me, I will come out as pure as gold."
I think it's interesting that, at some level, Job knew his faith was being tested. I think he also knew, to some degree, God's purpose behind allowing it. You might read Job 23:10 and think Job is coming from a place of arrogance or self-righteousness; as if his faith, character, and integrity are "pure as gold". But his statement runs much deeper than that. In Malachi 3:3, the Bible says, "He (God) will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; He will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver."
In order to refine gold or silver, a refiner places the metal in a crucible, and holds it in the fire until the temperature is hot enough to melt the metal. As it melts, the refiner stirs the metal, causing the impurities to rise to the top so that they can be skimmed off and removed. The finished product is "pure" (like 24 kt. gold), and can then be used for many different purposes. It is a delicate and dangerous process; the refiner must be in careful control of every detail at all times. Allowing the temperature to get too hot or leaving the metal in the fire for too long can leave the metal unusable.
I think it's important to note that gold and silver are rare and valuable even before they have been refined, but once refined, their value and worth in terms of their ability to be used effectively for multiple purposes increases exponentially.
Job's faith was rare and valuable, and God was pleased with Him! So much so that God was bragging about him behind his back! God's decision to allow Satan to test Job wasn't a punishment of any sort, and it wasn't a "lesson" he needed to learn. Job was a good man with a strong faith and he hadn't sinned or done anything wrong. But that doesn't mean he was perfect! God's desire is for us to become more and more like Him - He refines us like gold and silver. We will all face trials and traumas and loss. And none of us will ever be the same person we were when we went into the fire; the fire permanently changes us. But with God as our Refiner, we will emerge from the fire as the best version of ourselves. Different ... but better. And more like Him.
Frequently, once people are safely on the other side of a "Job Season", they will say something along the lines of "It was horrible!", "I would never sign up for it!" (or go through it voluntarily), "I would never wish it on my worst enemy!", and "I would never want to go through it again!" ... BUT, they also frequently have a tendency to say, "I wouldn't go back and change it even if I could, because it has made me who I am today."
Your story - all of it - the good, the bad, and the ugly, is what makes you uniquely you! We weren't created to have the same vision board as everyone else. Frequently (not always, but frequently), a "Job Season" leads someone to their divine purpose ... it ushers in God's vision board and calling on their life. A good example of that is the story of Joseph (Jacob's son); his period of trauma, tragedy, and loss ushered in his divine purpose and placed him in the exact position he needed to be in - a position of power and influence - in order for God to work in him and through him to save the Israelites from famine.
Many of those who were used greatly by God in the Bible experienced some sort of a "Job Season" (Joseph and King David are good examples). And many of those who were used greatly by God in the Bible were tested at some point prior to their calling - including Jesus! (See Matthew Chapter 4) I think it's interesting that, like Job, when God allowed Satan to test Jesus, it was a test of his motivation; would Jesus use his power and authority to serve his own purposes or to serve God?
In the story of Job, we are not told explicitly the ways in which the refining process may have changed him. There are a few we can surmise, though. The one most frequently talked about is patience. Patience is considered a "fruit of the Spirit" (Galatians 5:22-23). One translation for the word "patience" is "long-suffering without protest". Thankfully, it does not say "without complaining" or "without questioning"! ... Would Job continue to acknowledge God (both publicly and privately) and maintain his character and integrity even when it really didn't seem to be "paying off" for him? The answer is "yes", Job did ... and thus we have the commonly used idiom, "He has the patience of Job", which means, "to have a great deal of patience and faith during times of trouble and difficulty".
We can also surmise that, while Job was already a humble man and recognized God's Sovereignty prior to these events, this "refining" took those qualities to a whole new level! The same could be said about his faith; having a first-hand encounter with the God of the Universe changes a person! (It certainly had that effect on the apostle, Paul!)
But there is one very tangible "impurity" that may have been removed, and yet it is really never talked about at all within the Church. Which is why, to me, it is the most important to address, so I will devote an entire post to it - the last and final post in this series of 12.
© I Lift My Voice, 2023
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