Behind the Scenes

"If my land has cried out against me

and its furrows have wept together,

if I have eaten its yield without payment

and made its owners breathe their last,

let thorns grow instead of wheat,

and foul weeds instead of barley."

Job 31:38-40 ESV

Job wracked his brain for what he did to deserve such suffering.  In his mind, he'd been unfairly treated, given a raw deal for no apparent reason.  Since I have read his story many times, though, I have the advantage of knowing how it all came about (Job 1:6-12, 2:1-6) as well as what happens at the end (Job 42).  It is apparent to me, and perhaps to you, that God had His own purpose that He is working out behind the scenes.  

The same is true for you and me.

Compliment.  I've heard of backhanded compliments, but this one may be the ultimate.  While it might be nice to think that God holds such a high opinion of my faith that He knows I won't turn from Him no matter what I go through, it doesn't necessarily ease the pain of the testing.  I'm sure it would have been of little consolation for Job to have gained this insight about his circumstances.

Still, it's better to be on this side of God than on the other, where I am known as the doubter who constantly turns away from the truth.  Or as the fearful one who is afraid to fully trust Him.  Or as the lukewarm one who doesn't care one way or the other.

To have my faith tested means that I am treasured by God, that He thinks of me and considers how He can show me what my faith is made of, giving me insight into the power of the Holy Spirit at work within me.  Going through times of trial that are meant to grow my resolve as a follower of Christ, give me perseverance to keep hanging onto the hope I have in Christ (James 1:3-4). It is then that I'll know that my faith is real (1 Peter 1:7).

When I go through hard times, I can trust that God is at work behind the scenes testing my faith.

Limits.  I live in the world that us ruled by my enemy (John 14:30, 2 Corinthians 4:4).  It is his mission, in part, to steal the peace that is mine in Christ, to kill the love God has put in my heart, and to destroy my faith in the God who loves me perfectly (John 10:10a).

While it is his world to rule for now, Satan is not without limits.  It is clear from the story of Job that my enemy must have the permission of God in order to mess with me.  If Satan wants to use a tactic against me, he must first go through my Father for clearance.  Since God is a good God who is for me, not against me, and He has promised that He will work all things for my good, then I can be sure that whatever He allows into my life will bring about fruit (Romans 8:31,8:28, Jeremiah 29:11).

This brings the assurance of God's sovereignty into my trial.  If it's come into my life, that means it has passed through my Father's hands and He has deemed it as necessary for my development as His child.  The suffering is not in vain nor without reason, but will be used to hone my shape into that of Christ's, in the same way that a sculptor uses a hard tool to define the details into his masterpiece (Romans 8:29).

When I go through hard times, I can trust that God is at work behind the scenes overseeing Satan's tactics.

Ending.  "And they all lived happily ever after."  While that ending may only come about in fairy tales, I do have the assurance as a child of God through faith in Jesus Christ that He will finish what He has started in my life (Philippians 1:6).  He is faithful to accomplish His purposes in my life.  

Furthermore, while my life may not end the way I expect, I have the hope of heaven where I will be perfectly restored to my original condition.  In other words, the body I now dwell in that is ravaged by sin and darkness will be made new, transformed into an immortal one (1 Corinthians 15:53-54).  This gives me hope as I suffer in this broken shell-of-a body.

Even more exciting is how I will be reunited with my Father who loves me and given a place in His home as His child by faith (John 14:2 , 1 John 2:28-3:1).  The ending is pretty sweet indeed.

When I go through hard times, I can trust that God is at work behind the scenes bringing about the perfect ending.

In the same way that Job was not aware of what was going on out of his sight, I am similarly oblivious to God's hand at work in my life.  Knowing that He trusts me enough to test me, is overseeing the work of my enemy, and will bring about His purposes perfectly at the end can give me courage to persevere.  My suffering is not in vain because God is always at work behind the scenes.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust God even when I don't know what He's doing.

When do I doubt because I can't see or understand what's going on?

How am I angry because God seems to be withholding good things instead of trusting Him to bring about His best for me?