by @TheChristianMother via Instagram, submitted by Jeffrey Aucompaugh
An Old Testament professor years ago trying to help me understand the book of Job said, "Do you notice how after Job says all these terrible prayers... he's always saying terrible things to God, but at the very end God says, "Job has honored Me," and He actually turns to Jobs's friends and says, "You'd better ask Job to pray for you or I'm gonna smite you. Job has honored Me and you have not." And the Old Testament professor said, "Why in the world after all those terrible prayers would God say, 'Job honored Me.'?"
The answer is, they were prayers.
You see Job was angry and complaining but he was angry and complaining to GOD. He never walked away from God. He said, "I don't understand you, God, I'm angry with You." But he NEVER turned away. He stayed with God even when he was getting nothing out of it, which means in the end Satan was defeated. This man, even though he is not in anyway praying as he ought to pray, was still praying...
And when you go through darkness and you don't feel God is there, but you hold on anyway and say, "You know what? You're God and I'm not," Satan is also defeated.
Christian, even in the midst of God's silence, His presence is with us.
Job wrestled and wrestled with God’s silence in the midst of his suffering. Over 25 times he asked the question “why?” and he continually asked for the opportunity to defend his case before God. Job had entered the fiery furnace of suffering, yet he did not turn away from God.
Job writes:
"But He knows the way that I take; when He has tried me, I shall come out as gold. My foot has held fast to His steps; I have kept His way and have not turned aside. I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my portion of food" (Job 23:10-12).
One of the greatest statements of faith in all of Scripture is found right in the middle of Job chapter 13: “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him” (Job 13:15).
For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. (Job 19:25)
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