Yet I will hope

This morning I'm reading Job.  I used to get so angry at the story of Job because it seemed so unfair.  A man that lived his life for God and looked out for his family.  How could God let Satan nearly destroy his whole life, kill off his family, and nearly kill him? And then when Job finally gets to talk and question God at the end of the book, God's answer is "Don't you know who I am, and who are you to question me?" At least it always felt that way. 

This is the second time I am reading through the Bible in the last year and I am noticing some beautiful verses of Job that show his ultimate trust in his God and friend. Yes he cries out over and over in his anguish and begs God to curse the day of his birth etc.  He has real honest questions as any of us would in his shoes, but there are some truly amazing statements of faith and trust that surprise me in the midst of all this pain.  This is one of them.

• Job 16:19-21: "Even now my witness is in heaven;
  my advocate is on high.
   My intercessor is my friend
  as my eyes pour out tears to God;
   on behalf of a man he pleads with God
  as one pleads for a friend." NIV

Wow! Isn't that amazing! Even in his horrible pain and suffering Job knows that he has an intercessor that pleads for him as one that pleads for a friend.  Even then Job was so close to God that He trusted and knew that Holy Spirit would intercede for him.  It say's advocate on high I wonder if this eludes to even Jesus.

The new testament supports intercession by the Holy Spirit and and we know Jesus intercedes for us.  Here is a verse from new testament I just love.

• Romans 8:26-27:  "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God." NIV

It is such comfort to me when I feel like I don't even know what to pray for I'm so distraught.  Job knew this too with his connection with God.

The one verse that just blows me away and shows Job's total and complete trust in God is this one .

• Job 13:15: "Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him;
  I will surely defend my ways to his face." NIV

Can you imagine!  The kind of faith in a God that you know is allowing all these horrible things to happen to you?  Job doesn't just lay down and not express himself to God and just except his fate without question, but in all this even in his questions and frustration he still trusts.  Can you wrap your mind around what kind of relationship he had to have with God in order to say "Though he slay me, yet I will hope in him"?

I think it is such an amazing testament to Job's relationship to God.  One, that he can feel totally comfortable being honest to God how he feels, and two, that in all of that he still trusts God to death even if God Himself kills him!

It sounds awful at first, but if you really think about it, isn't that amazing and awesome that Job trusted God that much!  Doesn't that testify to how good God really is?  Job knows that when it comes down to it, God is a good and loving God. Even trusting that sometimes death may be a mercy in some circumstances, which is sometimes hard to imagine.

It encourages me in my roughest times to remember our God is Good and we cannot see the big picture.  We think we know what is best, but honestly every day our vision is warped and darkened.  This is why only complete trust and surrender to God is our hope and strength. Only God sees the full picture and knows what is best for us.

So when things are looking bad and you think you can't go on, remember God is looking out for your best even if it looks like its the worst.  Remember if Job could trust God that much we can too! Yet I will hope! How about you?