The Bible (KJV) says, “Behold, I go forward, but he (God) is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him: on the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him: but he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth (through this trial) as gold” (Job 23:8-10).
Trials are meant to test our faith in God. Trials take us out of our comfort zone and put us in a zone where we face and endure pressures that we would not otherwise face.
Christians are as guilty as the lost of building up a buffer zone of wealth and material backing which gives them a false sense of security in hopes that it will buoy them up and keep them afloat in time of disaster.
Job had great wealth but had the right attitude toward it. It was not his god and was not his source of security.
Job had all his wealth stripped away in a day (Job 1), and lost his health to boils (Job 2).
Throughout his trial Job had to listen to and respond to the false accusations of his “friends.” Up until the close of Job’s trial God was silent. Job looked everywhere for God and found Him not. Job might have asked, “Where is God in all of this?”
Job was aware though of the fact that God knew where he was. And that’s really all that matters. And he knew that he was in a trial that God was in charge of and which had the purpose of refining him, and that it would pass, and when it was over he would come forth as gold or as a much better man than he was. James (Jms. 1: 1-4), and Peter (1 Pet. 1: 1-7), speak of trials as a means for refining, maturing, and perfecting the Christian. And though we to have not seen and cannot see God, “. . . yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory” (1 Pet. 1: 8), in the midst of our trials.
We may look at all the bad things that are happening in our world today and ask, “Where is God in all of this?” We may not understand all that’s happening except for the fact that what is happening is a sign of the last days and the immanent return of Jesus for His church. We can draw comfort in the fact that God is in control, that He sees us and knows exactly where we are and He will not put more on us than we can bear (1 Cor. 10: 13). We must do as the songwriter wrote, “When you can’t trace His hand, trust His heart.”
