~ Day Three ~

Job's life was hand-selected by God to provide a prophetic portrait of the epic battle waging in the heavenly realm that was played out on earth and victorious won by His Son Jesus Christ. Job was in the dark, totally unaware that the enemy had strategically purposed to target his life for destruction, and that the Lord had permitted it. As Job sat wallowing in his pain and misery, feeling separated from God and ostracized by society, he longed for the darkness to envelope him fully; he wished he had never seen the light of day, for it only further illuminated the depths of his suffering. Though he spoke from the depths of unimaginable pain, Job cursed what God had blessed - human life - from the very moment of conception (v. 3)! Life is God's most sacred gift and therefore deserves protection; so while Job's friends were busy rebuking him, the Lord was working out his restoration - and not just his, but for all mankind, so that we all would know just how precious our lives are to God (John 3:16)!

God placed a special value on human life - making man and woman in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). He sent His Son to show us the perfection of that image that He purposed to complete in us from the beginning. "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David" (Luke 1:31, 32). Jesus came into this dark world to bring spiritual light and life to mankind, but men in their sin love the dark. "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil" (John 3:19). God had a purpose for Job's life beyond his present misery, but he couldn't see through the anguish, all he saw was ashes. Soon the Lord would illuminate his understanding and restore to him far more than he ever lost. If Job had never been born he would never have lived to give the Lord glory and praise, and if the Lord permitted Satan to take his life, Job never would have been heard again blessing the glorious name of the Lord. We were created to worship God, and we who believe have been born again to walk in newness of life that is meant to magnify His name (Romans 6:4). May we, like Paul, be willing in the midst of our trials and tribulations to live! "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21). And so bring honor and glory to God with our lives. "Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together" (Psalm 34:3).

(Isaiah 61:1-3)

Read: Job Chapter Three

It's been said that misery loves company. For seven days Job sat in silence in the ash heap, but he was not alone. Three of his friends came "to sympathize with him and comfort him." They had received word that their friend was in the depths of despair, so they responded as good friends do - they showed up! They were not afraid of getting their hands dirty; they sat right down in the center of Job's mess with him, joining him in the midst of his pain. For seven days they sat in silence, listening to their friends' sighing and groaning as he scraped the sores on his skin with shards of pottery, longing for the least bit of relief. And when the day came in which Job finally did speak, he was not the same man who, at the beginning of his trials, was blessing the name of the Lord and humbly acknowledging God's sovereign power to give and take as He saw fit. A radical change had taken place. Job had time to process the pain. He was now cursing the day that he was born; he was begging God to take back the first and most sacred gift He had ever given him - life!

Job wasn't looking to end his life, he just wished it never started. And he never cursed God, as Satan hoped he would, he cursed the day of his birth; he wished he had never been born. The great man of God who was so accepting of God's sovereign touch upon his life, was driven by intense pain into the pit of despair. "And look! The tears of the oppressed, but they have no comforter - on the side of their oppressors there is power, but they have no comforter. Therefore I praised the dead who were already dead, more than the living who are still alive. Yet, better than both is he who has never existed, who has not seen the evil work that is done under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 4:1b-3). From the ash heap of woe, Job concluded that a life so full of sorrow and suffering was meaningless. It would have been better for him not to have been born rather than suffer through such a worthless existence. Job was not alone, there are many who have expressed his same feelings of hopelessness. "Woe is me, my mother, that you have borne me, a man of strife and a man of contention to the whole earth!" (Jeremiah 15:10a). Pain has the power to cannibalize our thoughts and emotions, robbing us of joy and leaving us hopeless; making life an insufferable burden. There are days so dark and valleys so low that even Christians can get depressed and begin to think that the One who has promised to never leave or forsake us actually has. That is where Job found himself, and he voiced his misery for all to hear. His worst fears had come true and he was left in turmoil. "I am not at ease, nor am I quiet; I have no rest, for trouble comes" (Job 3:26). As Job's story unfolds, his friends will fail to provide the comfort he desperately needed; however, he will soon find himself talking again with his best Friend. The One, who has promised never to leave us comfortless, and who alone provides rest for our weary souls, will prove to be all that Job, and any sufferer like him, truly needs. This is not the time to give in to the pain or give up on life! If you or someone you know is sitting in the ash heap with Job, pour out your heart to the Lord today (He can handle your cries and complaints, even though your family and friends may not), and lay hold of His promises in His Word. The Lord will faithfully and compassionately lead you through this dark valley, and the light that once exposed all your pain and suffering will soon shine on brighter days."Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30).

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"Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord - that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful" (James 5:10).

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