if 2014 wasn't your year...or even if it was...

I had hoped to read through the entire bible by August of this year. I'm half way through. I am fairly certain that I have read the entire bible throughout my lifetime of bible reading, but there's something about reading it from cover to cover. And the truth is, I learn new things every time. That doesn't happen with ordinary books, you know. In fact, I never re-read ordinary books. The words are the same. And sure, the words in the bible are the same, too. But they bring on a new meaning each time they're read. Depending on the season, on your perspective, on your walk with the Lord, those God breathed words can teach you something new every single time your eyes pass over them.

 

I finished up Job last night. Like I've said before, Job is one of my favorite books. Who, at some point in their life, hasn't felt a bit like Job? Maybe your entire world hasn't fallen apart, but a piece of it has and it seems overwhelming. Or maybe it did all cave in at once. Sometimes, it seems that when it rains, it pours. And sometimes, just a little rain can cause much grief. But we've all walked through a valley at one point or another, and it's never easy.

 

I don't know how long Job suffered. It's nice to think that it all happened pretty quickly. Kind of like ripping a band aid off. Get the pain over with as soon as possible. But I have a feeling that it drug out. And, honestly, even if the valley moments are short in reality, they can seem never ending. I have a feeling that by the end of trial one, Job felt like his whole life was over. I am sure all he could see was bad no matter which direction he looked. And he lamented about it. Can you blame him? This wasn't Job's year or season or decade.

 

But 38 chapters later, God answers. God speaks up after Job and his friends have spent a significant amount of time trying to pinpoint the cause of his sufferings. And in the end, after all had fallen apart, all had been said, and all had been settled, the last two sentences of the book of Job read, "Job lived 140 years after that, living to see four generations of his children and grandchildren. Then he died, an old man who had lived a good, long life." (Job 42:16-17)

 

A good, long life. Because Job looked back and he could see through it all. He could see God's hand, God's sovereignty, God's purpose, and God's provision. He could see how God was with him each step of the way, watching over him at every moment. And he experienced God's power and redeeming love. He experienced the joy of being restored by the Lord. And in the end, Job counted his life as good. All of the moments. The whole thing. Because, sure, at times it was bad. At times it was hard and difficult and he wanted to die. But overall, as the seasons passed and the years went on, so did his life. And God did great things for him despite the bad that had happened. God had an incredible plan in place for Job going forward, and just because he was stuck in a rough time didn't mean it would be that way forever. Nothing, on earth, is forever. The beauty of change is that it is bound to happen eventually.

 

And so maybe 2014 just wasn't your year or maybe it was. Maybe you couldn't wait for it to end so that a new one could start. A new year with new potential. A new year that would be better than the last. A new year that would turn things around and get you headed on a better path. Well, this might be your year. It might be the year after this one. But regardless of how good the year goes, God's goodness never fails. And one day, I know it doesn't seem like it now, you'll look back and you'll see it. You'll see the good amongst the bad, and you'll think over life and you'll realize that you, just like Job, had a good life, too because you serve a good God who dearly loves you.

“But forget all that— it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland." - Isaiah 43:18-19