Posted by Growing up I was that child who would ask questions almost constantly. I love learning and gathering information, which is spurred on most of the time by asking “what if?” or “why?”. I often let my imagination fill in the gaps, or ask “out of the box” questions when I’m reading the Bible. As I was reading through the book of Job I asked an unusual question that has led to a paradigm shift.
I’m sure you’ve heard the story of Job before; he was a man who obeyed the Lord and then lost everything. Still, during those 38 chapters of turmoil, he never once cursed God. Chapter 42 is the resolution of the story where everything that was wrong becomes right. Job repents, prays for his friends, and then all of his fortunes and belongings are restored, Walt Disney has nothing on God.
“10 And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.
11 Then came to him all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and ate bread with him in his house. And they showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him. And each of them gave him a piece of money and a ring of gold.”
What if Job 42:10 is the topic sentence in the paragraph, and the following sentences describe how result came about? What if in God’s mind and view of time Job’s fortunes were already restored, but his friends were the ones through whom the blessing came?
I’m not saying that this interpretation is the correct one, I’m just asking you to think about what this could mean for your own life and circumstance. What do you have that can be given to restore someone else? How can you be used as a conduit for a blessing from God? Maybe it’s giving money to single mom or to a homeless person, maybe it’s teaching a skill or giving a word of encouragement, maybe it’s cooking a hot meal for someone or treating a friend to coffee. What resources have you been given that can be a blessing to someone else?
What if we were called to bless others? What would the world look like if we lived like we believe that?
Work in Progress 