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Setbacks Are Never Easy
“And he
said, ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD
gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.’” JOB 1:21 ESV
Faith
Quest
Read Job 1:20–22
Can
you worship in the storm?
Faith
Trek
Starting
with Job 1:20, we begin to see Job’s reaction to the tragic messages he had
received. Does anything surprise you in these verses?
If
you’ve studied Old Testament customs, you probably already know that tearing
one’s clothes was a common sign of grief.
Shaving
of the beard was a mark of sadness for men as well.
“And
then he fell to the ground and worshipped the Lord.”
That
last part takes my breath away.
Faced
with the biggest setback of his life, Job turned to his Lord in worship.
When
I (Pam) think back to the setbacks I’ve experienced, I’m sad to admit that
focusing on God, His glory and holiness, was usually not my initial reaction.
Storms
and tragedies tend to spur me into action. Rather than pausing to worship, I’m
comforting others, making phone calls, and arranging details.
Perhaps
these actions are to avoid the pain. Perhaps they are attempts to control what
is ultimately an uncontrollable situation.
What
about you? Maybe setbacks immobilize you, with all your energies directed
inward as you try to emotionally process the pain and shock of what has
happened.
Job
felt that pain too; this is why he tore his clothes and shaved his beard.
Yet
he didn’t turn those emotions inward. He didn’t focus his energy outward and
jump into action.
Rather,
he turned his focus up — to his Lord.
Job’s
relationship with God was so close that turning to the Lord in the midst of
overwhelming grief was natural.
The
terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, sent waves of shock and grief all
across the country.
As
people heard the news, a common reaction was to connect with family
immediately. Many were also drawn to the church for prayer and comfort in the
midst of unfathomable tragedy.
Similarly,
in this passage, Job was seeking comfort from his Lord. He had just heard the
worst news of his life, and he was running into the arms of his best friend.
Worshipping
the Lord at this moment also gave Job some reassurance.
Although
everything in his world had just changed, one thing remained the same. God was
still God, Alpha, Omega, everlasting.
In
verse 21, Job stated eternal truth: everything we have on this earth is from
the Lord.
And
inevitably some things will be taken away and we will experience the pain of
loss.
Still
we bless God’s name for who He is. And knowing that His love for us never gives
up and never runs out, we can boldly run to Him amid our setbacks.
Faith
Tools
· In the pain of a setback, we have a choice
to turn our focus inward, outward, or upward on our Lord.
· Worshipping in the midst of a storm becomes
a more natural reaction when it’s already a regular part of our lives.
· PRAY: “Abba Father, you are holy,
Lord God Almighty. You alone are worthy of worship.” Thank God for being a
mighty refuge at all times. Seek to set aside time throughout your week to
worship Him. Identify and memorize one or two key Bible verses that will remind
you to turn upward when setbacks come.
By: Arnie Cole, Pamela Ovwigho, and Michael Ross
Back
to the Bible exists to help you move
closer to Jesus today than yesterday, leading to life transformation as
you become a Biblically engaged disciple maker.
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