Worthy For Who He Is

Then the Lord said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? No one else on earth is like him, a man of perfect integrity, who fears God and turns away from evil." Satan answered the Lord, "Does Job fear God for nothing? Haven't You placed a hedge around him, his household, and everything he owns? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions are spread out in the land. But stretch out your hand and strike everything he owns, and he will surely curse You to Your face." (Job 1:8-11)(HCSB)


Have you ever heard someone use the phrase "the patience of Job"? You may have heard somebody say, "She must have the patience of Job in order to deal with that situation or set of circumstances." Well, when I read through the book of Job, I see a man who is committed to worshiping God. I'm not struck so much by his extraordinary patience as I am by his enduring praise.


In the course of one day, Job lost all his worldly possessions and all his children, and yet we see a response of praise rather than anger towards God.----He (Job) fell to the ground and worshiped, saying: Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will leave this life. The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. Praise the name of the Lord. Throughout all this Job did not sin or blame God for anything. (Job 1:20b-22)(HCSB)


Wow! He didn't blame God, but praised His name instead. Now that's a tough example of worship to follow. Job continued to worship because, despite all that had happened, he understood that God is worthy no matter what. In Job 1:9-11, Satan, the accuser of the brethren, makes the accusation that the only reason Job followed God was because he received blessings for it. Job would surely stop worshiping the Lord if those rewards were taken away. Satan may have intended to turn this argument against everyone who followed after the Lord. A more up-to-date way of stating this idea might be: "A person will worship and honor God as long as it's in their best interest."


But God knew that Job would hold fast to his faith despite his suffering, because Job understood that the Lord is worthy of worship just because He is God. So let's take our cue from Job and worship God for Who He Is rather than for what He gives us. Let's be followers whose worship is an example of enduring praise both through the good times and the bad. Let's pray for the Lord to purify our motives for following Him so that if it comes down to it some day, we will be able to proclaim along with Job: The Lord gave me everything I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord! (Job 1:21b)(NLT)


Singing His Praises,
Joey Culpepper