The Day from Hell – Job 1

Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped. He said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God. (20-22)

You might feel like you have had some bad days, but this day in Job’s life tops them all. In quick succession, he received four different messengers who confirmed that all of his possessions, servants, and children had been destroyed in a single day. Job didn’t fully understand everything, but he understood that his life had changed forever. Because we have the back story, we can see how the Lord allowed Satan to strike Job’s family and possessions to bring glory to Himself. God is sovereign and in control, but these attacks came directly from the Devil, and they were meant to destroy Job’s character and integrity. Let us not forget the words of Jesus in John 10:10 that “the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy….” The good news is that Jesus brings life.

How is one to respond in such circumstances? Yes, these attacks came from Satan, but God allowed them. What should we do when bad things happen to good people? Job’s answer was to worship the Lord. That is a powerful example to all of us when facing circumstances we do not understand. First, Job humbled himself, tore his robe, shaved his head, and poured out his grief to God. Then, he worshipped God. Why worship? He worshipped because he was thankful for everything and realized that he owned nothing. God gives everything; if He thinks it is best, He can take it away. Job could only say, “Blessed be the name of the Lord.” He never blamed God, and he maintained his integrity. When things don’t go right, remember the lessons of Job. Bless His name no matter what, realize that everything is His, and glorify Him even amid your suffering. We don’t worship Him because of our circumstances; we worship Him because He is worthy.