There once was a man that had 10,000 donkeys, 4 siblings, 1 million dollars and 2.7 thousand acres of land (I may have exaggerated this but it’s close! Job was wealthy!) One day things began to spiral downhill for Job quickly and he ended up loosing everything that he had and he eventually was left with nothing.
I like to think of Job as a faithful man of God but I have to be honest… if that happened to me it would be hard to remain a faithful man of God. Job had everything taken away from him and he did some things after everything was gone that I believe could help all of us grow closer to God. These three things that Job continued to do even after he lost it all is what I believe can help us as well. Let’s dive in!
3 P’s to spiritual growth
- Prayer
At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” (Job 1:20-21)
When Job lost it all what’s the first thing he did after he went bat crazy and shaved his head? He praised! Even on the worst day of his life Job fell to the ground and praised God… his praise was the only thing he had left to give anymore so he did it. Sometimes in life we can be a at a place where we physically and emotionally cannot give anything. In these times we can take note and offer a single word of praise even if it’s just the words “God even in this you’re good.”
Praising when things aren’t so bright is extremely difficult, it’s easier for some people but for most of us it’s hard. What do you feel like you’ve lost in this season? Your joy? Your hope? Your happiness?
2. Practice
His wife said to him, “Are you still maintaining your integrity?Curse God and die!”He replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble? “In all this, Job did not sin in what he said. (Job 2:9-10)
Job’s wife wasn’t to sweet at this point was she? She flat out told Job that needed to curse God and die because of all the things that had happened in his life. I’m sure it would have been easier for Job to do that…. I mean honestly, it would have been
That would have been the absolute worst and wrong thing to do but when you’ve lost it all and you’ve got nothing left and even your wife is leaving you and telling you you’re stupid… then hey, what else is there? The answer is Jesus. It amazes me that Job still practiced his faith after all of this was happening to him. Job still practiced his faith by living out what he believed. Job didn’t want to sin against God by cursing at him, it would have been easy to but instead he chose to stay faithful.
3. Presence
When Job’s three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him. (Job 2:11)
Of the three this one is my favorite. Presence matters when you are trying to follow Jesus… it means everything! Job had godly friends who cared about him enough to be with him even when his own wife didn’t want to be with him. I don’t know about you but that’s the kind of friends I want to be in the presence of. Friends that don’t judge me based on my circumstances but instead will come and encourage me.
Jesus never meant for us to do life alone, it’s too hard! We all need godly people in our lives who will be there for us and in turn we can be there for them. I love this one verse in Hebrew when it talks about the local church gathering:
not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:25)
Being in the presence of some godly people can not only change your outlook on life but it changes your life as well. This verse in Hebrews tells us to not give up meeting together why? Because we all need encouragement, every single person living needs encouragement even if they won’t admit it.
Reflect:
When you reflect on what you just read what comes to your mind. What are you praying about? If you aren’t praying now is a good time to start! Jesus wants you to be real with Him and share your thoughts and feelings. What are you practicing right now? What are your habits in life? Take inventory of what it is you’re practicing and look for the unhealthy habits in life and replace them with praise any way you can. Lastly, who are you letting in your presence? Are they godly people who encourage you? Are they friends who uplift you and will be there for you? Or are you letting people in your presence who tear you down, only talk negative and tell you what you all that can’t achieve in life. Who you allow in your presence determines who you’ll be in 5 to 10 years down the road.
- What are you praying for right now?
- What are you practicing right now? What are your habits?
- Who’s in your presence?
Bryant Westbrook 