JOB: Conclusion “Blessed be the Name”

Conclusion

Job 40-42

Do you really think about what you are singing in church on Sunday morning? Matt Redman has a song called “Blessed Be the Name of the Lord”. Here is a sample:

Blessed be your name, when the sun’s shining down on me

When the world’s all as it should be, blessed be your name

Blessed be your name, on the road marked with suffering

Though there’s pain in the offering, blessed be your name

Every blessing you pour out, I’ll turn back to praise

When the darkness closes in, Lord Still I will say “Blessed be your name”

You give and take away, you give and take away

My heart will choose to say, Lord, blessed be your name

In the book of Job, as in life, attitude is everything! We miss the point if we seek to find the answer of why there is suffering in the world. As this song points out, our attitude should be that we will bless the Lord regardless of our circumstances. If you recall at the very beginning, the Deceiver/Adversary Satan seeks to assume the nature of Job’s trust in the Lord. First, it was his possessions. Second, it was his own flesh. We discover that all along, Job was a man who placed his trust in the Lord with the proper attitude and perspective he established in Chapter 1 “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:20-21)

The book of Job is heralded as a book with universal appeal because of the fact that everyone suffers. But Job is more than a book of suffering. This is a chronicle of the journey in faith of a man who knew God. Job provides us with an example of what a proper attitude toward suffering should look like. If our struggles are handled properly, the suffering will increase our faith just as Job’s faith was increased in the end. God invites us into a relationship with Him, so that we can tell Him about our struggles and draw meaning from them. When we seek answers to the question of suffering, we are seeking a religion, just like Job’s friends… a religion that had become their god. But, when we seek to trust in God, despite our circumstances, then we transcend the intellectual pursuit of God and enter into a fulfilling relationship with the Creator, Sustainer, Redeemer and Friend of Job.

Lord, Blessed Be Your name!