Job 42:5 “I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you”
A friend of mine recently wrote about the importance of taking the “long view” when it comes to marriage. She said if couples want their marriage to last, it requires them to look beyond the temporary challenges and setbacks couples inevitably face. They need to keep the end goal of a lifetime together in sight. I couldn’t agree more.
I think taking the long view applies to a lot more than just marriage. How else could we forgive, show mercy, or cope with life’s tragedies if we didn’t hold tight to the bigger picture?
Take Job.
In the midst of his suffering, he asked “why?” Why was he experiencing so much pain and sorrow when he had done nothing wrong? Why was God allowing one crisis after another to happen? What good was it to serve the Lord when it seemed like the wicked were the ones who prospered? (Job 22:7-16).
But of course, Job didn’t have access to the long view. He didn’t know he was the subject of a great contest between God and Satan. He didn’t know that the battle he was facing had ramifications far beyond his present suffering. Job had no idea that millions of people would read about his story and be inspired by his perseverance over a thousand years later.
The God Job thought had abandoned him, was actually well pleased with his servant. God restored all of Job’s fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before. (Job 42:10). And what of Job’s accuser? He must have shame-facedly (if Satan is capable of shame) slithered away to lick his ugly wounds.
I believe God wants to use Job’s story to teach us about the importance of taking the long view. It’s a hard perspective to develop in a culture that thrives on “fast-food knowledge,” as one author has noted. I want my problems solved now, my pain to end now, my Big Mac now!
But God is in it for the long haul. He used Job’s troubles to help him gain a clearer perspective of himself and of God. And he will do the same for us no matter what we face.
Friend, I pray you embrace the long view.