For my money, Job 1:13-19 has to be the most ridiculously awful passage in the whole Bible.  If you know the story at all, Satan has contended before God that the only reason Job serves God is because He has made Job prosperous.  “Strike everything he has,” Satan says, “and he will surely curse you to your face.”  God proceeds to allow Satan to test out that theory, and what follows is the Job 1:13-19 nightmare:

Messenger 1: “Oh Job, sorry to interrupt, but I thought you should know an enemy tribe just stole all your oxen and donkey and killed your servants while they were at it.”
As messenger 1 is speaking, in comes messenger 2:  “Hey Job – all your sheep and servants in the field just burned up because of some freak fire!”
As messenger 2 is finishing, messenger 3 arrives:  “Job!  Your camels have been stolen!  And all the servants who were watching them are dead.”
(At this time, Job is probably hearing a voice from inside his head saying “shut the door, shut the door!!!”)
And as messenger 3 is finishing, messenger 4 enters and drops the sledgehammer on Job’s heart: “Job – your sons and daughters were feasting together and a mighty wind knocked down the roof and they are all dead.  I’m sorry, sir.”

Seven verses, probably spanning all of five minutes.  And just like that, Job has gone from a prosperous man to a poor man.  And that’s not the end, of course – soon after those tragedies comes the painful sores, breaking out from his head to his feet.  But still, he refuses to curse God, despite the prodding of his wife. 

There is such a fundamental question in the beginning for every believer as they consider God, Satan, and spiritual warfare.  Would Satan’s accusations be correct about you?  To what extent is your devotion to God based on your circumstances?  Do you love God because of what he has done in your life and the things he has blessed you with?  Do you find yourself questioning and cursing Him when your circumstances have become a nightmare?  Have you believed the lie that prosperity means that God is pleased with you, and hard times means that somehow you are in sin?  The story of Job sets the record straight – sometimes the righteous do suffer, but that suffering will reveal a great deal about whether your faith is based in who God is or on what He can do for you.

As Peter put it in 1 Peter 1:6-7:  “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.  These have come so that your faith — of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire– may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” 

It is easy to love and praise God when heaven seems to be raining blessing after blessing down on your head.  But will you still praise Him when your dreams are crushed, when your beloved is gone, when your health has failed, and when you see no hope in sight?  Or has He suddenly become unworthy?  Have the hard times knocked Him from His throne as Lord and Savior of the universe and of your life?

Now, I’m not saying that this is easy, by any means.  I don’t believe anyone’s natural instinct is to praise God and trust Him when life is crumbling around you.  In fact, this is why I struggle to sing along with some great worship songs.  Does anyone else know what I’m talking about?

“You can have all this world, but give me Jesus.”

Oh really?

“And I surrender all to you, all to you.”

Are you sure about that?

“Lord, I give you my heart, I give you my soul… Lord, have your way in me.”

Do you really know what you’re asking for?

“And all I have in you is more than enough.”

Will you still say that when He is truly all you have?

The only secure place in this world to build your life on is God Himself.  Every other foundation is going to come crumbling down.  And sometimes the only way you are going to realize this is for God to allow all the other foundations to come crumbling down.  Your health.  Your family.  Your friends.  Your looks.  Your job.  Your money.  Until, like Job in chapter 1, verse 17, you find yourself afraid to go outside, fearful of what might happen next.  But somehow, if you refuse to curse God and die, you find that God is indeed more than enough.  That He is still worthy of praise, even on the ash heap.  And only then can you truly sing from your soul, “You can have all this world, but give me Jesus.”

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