But Now I See You

Today’s blog post is contributed by David Trotta:

My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. (Job 42:5)

Job must have been a man who walked closely with the Lord.  After all, Job 1:1 says “There lived in the land of Uz a man named Job – a good man who feared God.”  Even God Himself declared in v8 of that same chapter that Job “was the finest man in all the earth.”

However, it wasn’t until after Job went through an incredible trial that took everyone he loved and everything he owned away from him that he declared “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.”

In the midst of great pain and suffering, Job had an incredible encounter with God.  God spoke to him in the midst of his hardship.  He went from knowing “of” God to knowing God.

Job honored and revered God during a time of plenty, but it was the hardship he endured that birthed a greater understanding of God.

Without challenges and difficulties in our lives, our relationship with God can only grow so far.

Job’s struggles purified and refined his heart’s gaze toward the One who mattered most.  The fire of his trials brought into focus what was truly important – the sovereigntyof God.

If you are going through a difficult time, don’t become discouraged, but press into God with greater fervency.  He will use the challenges you are going through to birth a greater revelation of who He is.

In Job 42:12, the bible says “The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part” and goes on to list the physical blessings that were restored to him, but I bet what held the most value to Job was the greater fellowship he enjoyed with God.