There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil. Job 1:1
Think of how silly it would be for someone who smokes to blame God for their lung cancer. And yet, there are smokers who do. Just as there are people who blame God for every bad thing they encounter in their lives. And there are people who claim to not believe in God because, they reason, a good and loving God would not allow bad things to happen to good people. They fail to realize that all of the bad things that happen, whether disease or crime or catastrophe, are the consequence of sin. The cost of having a free will is having to reap what we sow. But sometimes innocent people, like Job in our text, suffer much, and we wonder why.
As we examine all the things that Job suffered, we can be sure of one thing: he was not being punished for being in the wrong. His record was clear and his motives were pure. He had every reason to expect blessings and commendation. He is proof that God takes up serious dealings with His children that have nothing to do with reaping what they sow. It was true of Job, and it is true today. And it is why we must never harshly judge any Christian who is suffering harm or loss. Only God knows the reasons for the situation.
In Job’s situation, God had some very good reasons. Firstly, He was proving Job’s faith in Him, not only to Satan but also to everyone else. Even Job’s miserable comforters had to acknowledge that this godly man was not being punished for wrongdoing. Secondly, God was refining Job’s character so that he emerged from his trials an even better man than before. God also used Job’s faithfulness to shame the devil and squelch his false accusations. All these reasons, among others, concerning Job could be reasons why some of the Lord’s people encounter trials today. If it were us, would we emerge as well as Job?
The reasons for our trials are between us and God. Let Him teach us what we need to learn. – Jim MacIntosh
Here is the link to the video of this message: https://youtu.be/RcaXVhWDt9U