Job 23:10, “But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.”
Job’s life is one of the earliest accounts in Scripture, and his story is a message of deliverance. Job faced trying circumstances which included: death within his immediate family, unexpected financial pressures and life-threatening afflictions in his personal health. How did Job respond when he suddenly found himself within a situation this drastic? How do we respond when we face similar, trying circumstances? We should know that we will come forth out of the fire as gold (Zechariah 13:9). We should worship (Job 1:20). We are invited by the God of our Lord Jesus Christ to expect victory.
The apostle Paul tells us in Romans 8:37, “…in all of these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” Paul doesn’t say, “on the other side of these things” or “when all of these things have ended we are more than conquerors…” God tells us, “in all of these things.” We can view difficult situations as purifying not as putrefying (1 Peter 1:7). Paul openly stated that when he felt the pressures of life, what he was actually experiencing was a future “weight” of glory being produced (2 Corinthians 4:17). The pressure and weight that he felt on himself was the indication to Paul that the process of a future glory was in motion.
Job 27:6, “My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live.”
Satan accuses, prosecutes and persecutes. Satan pulls people into wrongdoing and then turns around and accuses them of being in the wrong. At times we need the help of another Christ-follower who we trust to get us out of the situation that we are facing (Job 29:16 and 17). There is no shame in this. In Job’s story (a story which shows his process of receiving double) he responded to circumstances by not allowing his heart to declare accusations against himself. Where and when we are tempted to allow accusations to sink in that cause fear and worry, we do not have to allow our hearts to accept those falsehoods. Jesus commanded us to not allow our hearts to be troubled (John 14:1). God invites us to be like Job. We not only hold fast to our righteousness, we determine that we will not let it go. The Lord Jesus Christ is our Righteousness (Jeremiah 23:6 and 33:16). We hold fast to Jesus Christ and we do not let go. God is the living and personal source of our deliverance. We respond with immediate worship like we see in Job 1:19 and 20. As the servants of Jesus Christ, our lives are a continual expression of worship, in favorable and unfavorable times, because He is faithful. Our God will come through for us.