“Have you considered my servant, Job?” Those words were spoken by God thousands of years ago when Satan returned from one of his malevolent tours of the earth. God almost sounded like a proud father as He challenged the evil one to witness the integrity and faithfulness of His servant, Job. The rest of the story is history, as they say. The good news for Job was that he was highly esteemed by the Almighty… this is not a small thing, when you think about the fact that Almighty God spoke and the universe came into being, and that it is by His will every moment of every day that all things hold together! But, the bad news for Job was that God would allow Satan to put him to the test. And what a test it was! From our limited perspective, we believe that no one should have to go through what Job went through. And, yet many of us do!

“Have you considered my servant, Job?”

Those words were spoken by God thousands of years ago when Satan returned from one of his malevolent tours of the earth.  God almost sounded like a proud father as He challenged the evil one to witness the integrity and faithfulness of His servant, Job.  The rest of the story is history, as they say.  The good news for Job was that he was highly esteemed by the Almighty… this is not a small thing, when you think about the fact that Almighty God spoke and the universe came into being, and that it is by His will every moment of every day that all things hold together!  But, the bad news for Job was that God would allow Satan to put him to the test.  And what a test it was!  From our limited perspective, we believe that no one should have to go through what Job went through.  And, yet many of us do!

Just over the past month we have witnessed widespread destruction and loss of life in Haiti, New York and New Jersey as a result of Superstorm Sandy. And then last week the unimaginable happened when 20 precious children were gunned down by a madman. Surely the evil one had his hand in both of these events.  But, why does God allow it?

As hard as it is to understand at times, God is sovereign, and nothing happens on this earth that He does not permit. We might be tempted to judge Him and harbor bitterness that He should allow these bad things to happen.  Job certainly started to question why God would allow such things to happen to him. But, in the end, when his eyes were opened, Job realized that God truly was in control, and had his best interest at heart.  Even in the midst of his anguish he was able to testify (found in Job 19:25, 26):

“I know that my Redeemer lives,
and that in the end He will stand upon the earth.  
And after my skin has been destroyed,
yet in my flesh I will see God”

Next week we celebrate the birth of our Savior! That baby who was born in a manger to become the Prince of Peace is the visible evidence that our Redeemer lives!  God only allows Satan to go so far. His ultimate plan is to restore all things to the way they were back in the beginning.  In this life we may have to endure diverse trials, but ultimately our destiny is assured! We can take heart because the Prince of Peace has overcome!

But, for the time being, God has a job for us to do. That’s why World Renew Disaster Response Services exists! Unlike Job’s friends, we don’t try to explain why people suffer when a disaster strikes. Instead we come alongside them and try to bring to them the love of Jesus so that their hope is restored. Here on earth that’s one of the most important things that we can be doing for those who suffer.

My prayer is that each of you will have a blessed Christmas, and that in 2013 there will be peace on earth and that we will experience the sweet taste of God’s coming kingdom as we continue to serve Him together.

In His Service,

Bill Adams

Director
World Renew Disaster Response Service

picture source: http://scottmoonen.com/2011/04/30/job/