WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE=THE STORY OF JOB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE

( the story of JOB )

 

 

ALL my life

I have been BLESSED

By having

The most amazing friends

 

But everyone

Is NOT that fortunate

Everyone does not

Have loyal and amazing friends

 

All we have to do

Is look to the Bible

To the story of Job

 

Job begins

As one of the wealthiest

And most prominent men

On the face of the earth

 

He fears God

And is upright in his living

 

God tells Satan,

“Have you considered

My servant Job

There is no one

On earth like him

He is blameless

And upright

A man who fears God

And shuns evil”                                                           Job 1:8

 

The devil basically says,

“Why wouldn’t he

He has everything---family-health-wealth

What if he were to lose everything”

 

God’s response,

“Very well then

Everything he has is in your hands

But on the man himself

Do not lay a finger”                                                      Job 1:12

 

The devil

Takes away

Job’s family, his health, and his wealth

 

Job has 3 friends:

Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar

 

They come to comfort

But they end up discussing his life

And insist his suffering

Is for some sin in his life

 

Which of us

Hasn’t had some friend

Sometime in our life

That though meaning well

Experienced some betrayal

Or little act of treason

From them

 

ALL of us have

And if we are lucky

Our friendship survives

 

Finally a fourth friend Elihu

Comes to see him

And tells Job

That he needs to humble himself before God

And let God purify him

 

Even Job’s own wife says,

“Are you still

Holding on to your integrity

Curse God and die”                                                                  Job 2:9

 

Yet despite his suffering

Job says to his wife,

“You are talking

Like a foolish woman

Shall we accept

GOOD from God-and not trouble”                                                Job 2:10

 

Finally Job does QUESTION GOD

And Job learns valuable lessons

About the NEED

To totally trust God

 

Because

God does RESTORE

Job’s health, happiness, and prosperity

Even beyond his earlier state

 

So when trouble

Confronts us in this life

I pray

That you and I have a heart like Job---

And the FAITH of Job

 

And that we KNOW

That God deserves our love

REGARDLESS of our lot in life

And that God is enough

 

I have one last wish for you

And that is

That you be BLESSED

With FAMILY AND FRIENDS

Like I have had

 

NOT like Job

 

Robert P. Wallman

6-18-12

 

 

Ps        10-1-14 and 1-20-2026