Job 13:15 -Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him…
I have just recently received a realignment in my relationship with the God who is my Father and Savior. As I am sitting here typing in pain, unable to swallow yet, waiting for the various swellings from my operation to heal, I have found myself in a situation I cannot control. So, the words of Scripture invade my soul, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him…”
I notice from this verse some challenges and encouragements.
First, God is at work. Surely God was using Satan as the agent of Job’s suffering, yet it was still the Lord sending the pain. It was the Almighty God who sent the suffering, while controlling its depth and duration. I know that God is in control and I can trust His purposes.
Second, God’s work can hurt. Many times, living a faithful Christian life involves suffering. This suffering is not because we have been disobedient, but because we are being refined by the hands of our Master Potter. And a result, we become precious vessels in His sight.
Third, God’s work limits me. Right now, I cannot do all that I normally do. Doing the “normal” everyday things is painful. I have free access to one arm. Speaking is a struggle. I have to feed through a tube. And yet I realize this: I am in the process of learning and applying what Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 12:9–10 – And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
So like Job, I am in the process of learning and living: Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him…