Chosen Grace

Hello lovely people! So today is another great day to be alive don’t you think? Well, in this post- I thought I’d talk about someone who saw good, even when all things were telling him to quit. Now, let’s get into it! 

There are 39 books in the old testament. Each book is special and filled with evidence of God’s goodness. But there is one book in particular that always shows me something new about God and the nature of humans. And that book is Job. 

Now, if you have read Job then you know the story. But, I think it’s important to talk about how he landed into the circumstances that he found himself in: 

You see, in the first chapter of Job, Satan came to God, after wandering the earth (Job 1:7). He had been looking for people whom he could devour. So, God turned Satan’s attention to Job, who was upright. He gave Satan permission to test Job, but Satan had one condition- he could not take his life (Job 1:8-12). 

And so Satan tested him: Job’s children were killed, his property was taken from him, and his heath had failed. And on top of that, he had three ‘friends’ who were trying to tell him that he had done something wrong.

All of that had happened in the first two chapters, so I could only imagine what was going to happen next. But as I kept reading, I saw that Job adopted a positive attitude. And he did that by doing three things. 

The first thing that Job did was that he recognized God’s sovereignty. He says: 

“Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” –Job 2:10

In this verse, Job’s wife had told him to curse God for all the hardship they were facing. But Job didn’t. He instead chose to see that God is still God, even when all things don’t look or feel good. 

And just as Job understood this, so can we. Even when our circumstances tell us that nothing is going to work out, we have to trust that God is still on the throne, still keeping us. 

Now, this can be hard when it seems like no one cares and everything is going wrong. But you have to understand that even when it doesn’t look good, God is still God. And He is still good. 

I strongly believe that Job understood this. And because He understood how in-control God is, he also saw how faithful God is, which is the second point. 

“But if I go to the east, he is not there; if I go to the west, I do not find him. When he is at work in the north, I do not see him; when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him. But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.”  —Job 23:8-10

At first, Job could not see where God was in his life. As he described in the verse above, Job had looked everywhere and still he could not clearly comprehend where God was in the whole shabang. But even in his emotions, Job still held firm to the truth that God understood where he was. 

And to be honest with you all, I’m just now understanding this. Sometimes, I feel like I’m just lost in the sauce of life. But then I’m reminded that even in the hills and the valleys of life, God knows where I am. 

Better yet, God has already ordained for me to be where I am. And like Job, as long as I stay the course- I’ll turn out shiny as a diamond and as firm as gold. 

I want to encourage you all that whether you are feeling up or down right now, understand that emotions are temporary, but God’s promises are eternal. He will never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5) and he knows your name (Isaiah 43:1). 

Once Job understood God’s sovereignty and his faithfulness, he was then able to be faithful to God. 

“Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him.” –Job 13:15a, NIV

Now, this last point is super important. Because Job understood who God was and how God would keep his promises, he chose to be faithful to God. Even though his three friends and wife were telling him to forsake God, Job never did. 

Job’s faithfulness to God is powerful- because even though he had lost everything, he still chose to look up into the hills from where his help comes from (Psalm 121:1). 

I chose to put that point last because I think it’s important that we see how we can trust God in hard times. We all fail to see the bigger picture at times, but as long as we trust in God- all things will work out (Romans 8:28). 

Now, if you’re like me- sometimes things can weigh you down. And when that happens, I just want to do things my own way. But the Holy Spirit constantly reminds me that God is with me. And because of that, I chose to put my energy and hope into God, even if my emotions tell me otherwise. 

Trusting in God is so crucial- yet hard. But I promise you from experience that as long as you put your trust in Him, God will reward your faithfulness. As long as you are running the race that He ordained for you, all things will work out. 

As this post comes to an end, I want to tell you guys this one last thing: the book of Job was written in the time of the patriarchs (Abraham, Jacob, etc). And during that time- they did not freely have God’s grace. That’s why Job’s friends were so convinced that Job must have done something wrong, because, in their time period, God punished the wicked severely. 

But I want to remind you all that we don’t live in the land of the patriarchs. We don’t have to fear God’s wrath. Why? Because Jesus paid our debt. And He rose on that third day morning, full of grace. Now, he sits on the right hand of the Father, interceding for us. 

With that being said, stay encouraged. Whether you are in a dry season or a growing season with God, he knows where you are and he will deliver you. He delivered Job- and Job was rewarded by God because of his faithfulness. 

Understand God’s sovereignty. Remember His promises. And stay faithful to God. With that combination- you can never go wrong. 

So, let’s adopt the attitude of Job and stay faithful to the Father, for he cares for you and me.

With love and a new Job attitude, 

Malaysia =)

P.S: You should definitely read the book of Job. I have read it multiple times and God always reveals something new.