Imitating Job’s Humility

“Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you” (Jas 4:10)

Job was described as “the greatest of all the people of the East” (Job 1:3b); a righteous man who feared God and he had all the blessings of God, Then all in a day, he lost everything – his wealth, family and health.

When his wife saw him covered with painful boils, she urged him to curse God and die (Job 2:9). In the midst of his suffering, Job’s friends too came with all sorts of explanations regarding his problems and offered their advice. Job himself could not understand why all that had happened. Yet, his first response was to fall to the ground in worship (Job 1:20-21). Even when he was asked to curse God, “he did not sin with his lips” (Job 2:10b).

Job was bankrupt and homeless with no family. His wife and his three friends, with their well-intended advice were neither a comfort nor an encouragement. Job hoped for an interview with God (Job 23:2-7) and he finally got his wish. God appeared to him in the form of a storm, spoke and revealed His omnipotence over all things, including his situation (Job 38-39). As Job recognized the truth of what God said, his response was humble repentance. Even though nothing external had changed, there was no more arguing. Job realized that he could not entirely know the mind and workings of God.

We may be in a similar situation like Job wrestling with pain and depression, grief, misunderstanding, sickness or loneliness. Unanswered questions still abound but we must stop arguing or trying to understand all the workings of God. We must humble ourselves as the created in the hands of the Creator and rest in God’s sovereignty and love. Then God will bring us to a place of contentment even though the answers we seek are still missing.

As Job did that, God restored, healed, rewarded and honoured him (Job 42:10-12). Our God does not miss anything that happens in our lives. He knows exactly what, when and how He is going to act. Let us therefore humble ourselves and God will exalt us, as He did for Job.