Is God Still Good in the Face of Loss

Scripture

Our verse for today comes from Job 1:8, ” Then the Lord said to Satan, ‘Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the face of the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?’ “

Background

Are you a good person? My guess is that you are. My guess is that some of you are very good. And in today’s world, where so much and so many are spiraling downward out of control, seemingly getting worse by the minute, a good person can really stand out, can really make a big difference. I have another guess. My other guess is that some of you are uncomfortable with the idea of calling yourself, or any other person, good. And, standing out because of this goodness is almost heretical in light of God’s supreme holiness and man’s, and specifically yours or mine, sinful nature. But let me ask you what God asked Satan, ” Have you considered Job? ” According to God, he was blameless and upright, a man who feared God and shunned evil. If that’s bad, then I don’t want to be good. And then yes, if that’s not good, you and I can abandon all hope of ever being good or meeting someone who is.

Application

But what I really want us to consider is how Job’s mess all got started. Satan was scouring the earth, presumably for victims, when God suggests that he check out Job. You hear a lot about people getting thrown under the proverbial bus, well, Job got run over by a double-decker thanks to God. There he was, being and doing good, when God decided to make him a test case for saving, unwavering faith. And what a test it was. You know how he lost family and possessions, and his wife and friends brought him all the wrong kind of counsel and advice.

But in the end, his faith endured, and God blessed him abundantly. But let’s not forget, Job lost all he owned, his servants, and the lives of his ten children. God eventually gave him ten more kids, but the death and heartbreak weren’t reversed. Job’s memory wasn’t erased. And that leads to a question rather than a guess. How comfortable are you with that? When bad stuff happens, and it all points back to God, how comfortable are you to leave that with Him? If you’ve lost a child or loved one, whether physically or spiritually, is God blameless and upright enough for you? Is He good?

Charge

As we seek Him today, tell God how good you think He is. Then take another look into your life and His Word, and tell Him again.