March 1 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

After suffering through a tremendously difficult trial Job experiences the abundance of God’s grace. His wounds are healed, the infection is stopped, the pain leaves his body and his health is restored. Job receives from the Lord’s hand a double portion.

It is noteworthy that the Lord does not double the number of Job’s sons and daughters. He did not really lose his first sons and daughters. They had been taken away from him to be with the Lord. Therefore in actual fact Job does receive twice as many sons and daughters as he had before. Job becomes rich again and is in the good graces of others.

Not all stories of human suffering have such a happy ending. Our loved ones who have passed away will not come back to us in this life. This happy ending is not normative for Christians in this age, but is a prophecy of the glory all believers will receive when Christ returns.

What happens to Job displays what Christ said so many years later, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life.” (Mark 10:29-30) It supports the words of Paul: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose...Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified (vindicated); and whom He justified, these He also glorified.” (Romans 8)

The ending of the book of Job is not, “and they all lived happily ever after.” The scars are still there! Job does not get his first children or his murdered servants back. A day will come when Job himself will die. Nevertheless, God’s work goes on! Beyond the grave and on the new earth Job, and all God’s children, will possess perfect blessedness. The LORD will wipe every tear from our eyes. Crying, pain, suffering, distress and death will be gone forever. We can be sure of that because the Lord will bring our present lives to a glorious and blessed future.