Job was a great father who loved his children deeply. He would rise early in the dawn every morning to petition the Lord on behalf of his children. He was also an outstanding community member. He was doing amazing things in caring and looking out for others. He never overlooked helping people out and went out of his way to assist others who were struggling get on the right path. He loved God and his neighbors well. He was also a great friend. He had three other friends that were considered his equal in that they all loved the Lord and walked the best they could in righteousness.
As Job experienced adversity after adversity with losing his children he dearly loved and everything he owned and then having a terrible and painful burning rash, he was careful in his words to not offend or put blame on God. Job was a saint by any standards for sure!
So why Job to get hit with suffering and not his friends? Job proclaims, “Could my anguish but be weighted, and my disaster on the scales be borne, they would be heavier now than the sand of the sea. Thus my words are choked back. For Shaddai’s arrows are in me—their venom my spirit drinks. The terrors of God beset me.”
Job feels singled out and asks in his heart, ‘Does the Lord hate me?’ ‘Is he against me?’ His friends naturally believe it is because he must be in some sort of sin and if he turns around and repents, the Lord will change everything around for him. They tell him basically, come back and walk in righteousness and the Lord will forget any grievance He has against you.
Exodus 15:26 says, “And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.”
Just recently for myself, I went to a prayer conference. God was moving powerfully there. People were repenting from sins. A whole group of people came up repenting of pornography and committed to change as they were heartbroken over their sin. It was beautiful to see the change taking place in people’s hearts.
I was there with two friends. People often call us the “three amigo’s” because we pray together are are seen together in pressing in for revival in Minnesota. I love to be associated with these women. These are my most on-fire believing prayer warrior friends who let nothing intimidate them. When it comes to COVID, they tell me, “don’t receive it, no plague can come near you.” Rather, “stand in faith.”
Not that I have the level of faith of these fearless women, but, having seen so many miracles in my lifetime, I know God is capable of all things. I have seen him over and over again heal diseases. I have witnessed incredible miracles and in my own life, I have walked unexpectedly and gratefully out of not only healing of my emotions but illness at times as the Lord has healed me.
So at this prayer conference, some people contracted COVID. While the Lord’s goodness ran rampant and many were changing their hearts, darkness also ran through the place bringing sickness on some. I was with my two friends and trusting the Lord that I would not catch it. However, as it turns out, I contracted it and brought it home to my family.
Needless to say, I was devastated for getting my family sick. While my symptoms have been only mild, my one son only has 50% kidney function and he has ran a strong fever on occasion. I have been deeply concerned for him.
My friends reminded me that the Lord heals all our diseases and no plague can overtake us. So Immediately I asked myself, where was the sin in my life? I asked my friends to pray for me to know where I was off course and how I needed to change.
David Wilkerson asks, do you know the kind of people who are kind, considerate, gentle, and don’t gossip against others? They only say things to people that will encourage and build them up? We may think to ourselves, “There goes a righteous person.” Yet, they can still be unrighteous in God’s eyes. [1]
Do they know Jehovah Tsidkenu, the Lord of our Righteousness or are they working hard to live a righteous life in the flesh? If we strain to attain righteousness buy human abilities, we will still fall gravely short.
What pleases the Lord is not our righteousness but our faith in His righteousness. David Wilkerson writes, “Understanding Jehovah Tsidkenu-The Lord our righteousness—is absolutely critical to the Church’s survival in these last days.”[2]
Not to claim a certain level of righteousness, but I can never make myself righteous enough. Instead, by His blood, The Lord makes me righteous. When I stand in His righteousness, I have access through the covenant to all promises that come along with it. He is the Lord that not only forgives my sins but heals me and my whole family. He is the Lord that keeps us safe and wrapped in His tender mercies. I am so grateful that it depends upon Him and not me as streams of mercy are never ceasing!
Lord, we can trust you in every circumstance. Help us to stand in Your righteousness and not our own. I praise you for your goodness to me and my family. Your mercies are new every morning and Your faithfulness is unceasing. There are no other hands I would desire for my family to fall into than Yours. I’m going to wait on You.
