Job 1:20 “Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped.”
This verse always stops me in my tracks. At first, it seems like a contradiction. In Job’s days tearing your robe and shaving your head was a sign of grief, but then the verse says that Job fell on the ground and worshiped.
How many of us can say that our immediate response to grief is worship? I know I can’t. By God’s grace, I eventually get there, but I have yet to respond that way immediately.
If you read the rest of the story of Job, you will find out that within a day Job loses everything that’s precious to him. Earlier in the chapter we are told that Job is a man of wealth and that he has a family. We are also told that he is faithful to God. In this passage we read that God allowed Satan to afflict Job. In verse 12 God says to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.”
Notice that these terrible things that happened to Job were not simply “accidents”. God allowed Satan to do these things to Job, but take note that God is always in control. He tells Satan how far he can go, and Satan must obey. God allowed Satan to do these things to showcase God’s glory.
Throughout Scripture we see God allow terrible things. It can be difficult to understand and make peace with these stories, as well as the difficult experiences we face in our own lives. But we must remember God’s character. He is sovereign and gracious. He is always working for our good and His glory. Job knew this about God and that is what enabled him to respond to such deep loss with worship.
My prayer for myself and all who are reading this is that we would know God so deeply that when hardships and tragedies come we, like Job, would respond in worship.