During a recent discussion about God's will and suffering in our lives, of course the story of Job came up. Afterward I got to thinking a little about that story and what it's really all about. I never considered before just what that story does. It shows me every perspective on a time of trial. There's much more to it than just a really "patient" man enduring a struggle.
There's God's perspective - He chose to allow Job to endure the trials he was afflicted with, but He still had His hand on Job's life, He still remained in control, and He never left Job's side.
There's Satan's perspective - He asked for and received permission to test Job. This tells me that for one thing, he doesn't have that much power, if he had to go and ask God first before he could give Job any real trouble. It also reminds me that when trouble comes, it's not coming from God.
There's Job's perspective - In the middle of everything, he could have just fallen down and denied God, he could have decided that God wasn't real after all, or that he'd been forsaken. But he didn't - he still believed and he waited to see what God's grand design was for him through all of it.
And then there is the perspective of all those around him, those who should have been supportive and encouraging but instead were negative, even hateful. They didn't see the truth, that God was using the trials to teach Job, to accomplish something for His greater good, because they were too wrapped up in themselves and couldn't see the big picture.
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