Happy, Broken, Tested, Restored People

Job was considered a righteous man,

He’d done nothing at all too bad,

But when his life imploded on him,

For a long time, he was sad.

Bitterness overtook him,

Complaint was his repose,

Anger at the hardness of his ‘friends’,

No sympathy from them for his woes.

But then the Lord his God,

Finally made His speech,

Sending Job to his knees,

Oh boy how God can teach!

Therefore, Job soon discovered,

That the Lord wanted Job to grow,

God had to show He was Sovereign,

Through all life, above, here and below.

So now Job knew his God,

Not mistaken anymore to fret,

Soon Job was weaned of complaint,

His needs, in God, were met.

Now how does Job’s story finish,

Did his nightmare come to an end?

Well, certainly he was blessed,

Not least by not needing to defend.

God gave Job everything back,

A double measure was extended to him,

All because as a man,

He chose to God alone to cling.

***

We’re a people chasing happiness, or at least a life where things don’t go wrong.  We might presume Job had a happy life before he was broken by one cruel circumstance after another.

From brokenness came Job’s testing.  God doesn’t bring us testing because He’s cruel; He allows it because He knows we can endure the test.  We endure not through our own power, but by His grace, as we submit.  We trust His providence.

As soon as we’re able to trust God’s sovereignty, we’re a testimony of restoration.

Happy, just not tested,

Broken open to horrid reality,

Tested so as to endure,

Restored, to trust God’s personality.

© 2016 Steve Wickham.