Job’s Unconditional Love for His God

Do you know what I find interesting about Job’s story? Not the loss of almost everyone he loved and everything he owned, but the war that was going on.

Sure, if you flip through the forty-two chapters of Job, you might notice that there’s not a physical war happening.

But that’s the point.

There was a war going on that Job didn’t even know about, one with two opposing supernatural powers.
This war wasn’t against flesh and blood, with swords and bullets (Ephesians 6:12)—it was against his soul.

The evidence of the war was physical. Job’s sheep, cattle, donkeys, and camels are stolen or burned. His servants and children die. Boils cover his body. And then his wife and friends discourage him even more by blaming him.

But his reaction was also a little supernatural—his love for God held an authoritative position against the earthly things. He battled back with love, faith, and truth.

Right now, you could be feeling betrayed, crushed, or hurt because your circumstances are far less than ideal.

Despite that, God is still on your side. He might be waiting to swoop in until you make the right decisions, or there could be a battle for your heart.

Who will you love against all odds?

For Job, it was God.

Job’s Worship

Messengers came to tell Job of everything that had happened. His response? Worship (Job 1:20). He doesn’t curse, blame, or avoid God. Job rejoices.

Job reacts similarly to Paul when the apostle was writing a letter from prison to the Philippian church. He shared the secret to his endurance: rejoicing.

Rejoicing isn’t passive. It’s not something we do automatically, and it’s not quite an emotion.
Rejoicing is an action. Job 1:20–22 shares Job’s active worship.

Is it normal to rejoice when something awful happens? I don’t think so. And yet, it’s part of faith and love for a God who is transcendent over our circumstances (Romans 8:28).

God’s Rebuke

Eventually, Job starts to grumble and complain—and after all that’s happened, we can empathize. He wishes he was never born (Job 3), but he never curses God.

However, God spends 5 whole chapters reminding Job that God Himself is Lord over everything, including plants, animals, the universe, and humans. He is Lord, not Job. And no matter the circumstances, God has His reasons.

Job’s Blessing

After everything Job had gone through, he received more than he started with. God gave him blessings in abundance for remaining faithful despite the odds.

If you’re a Christian, the reward trumps whatever you’re facing.

Faithful for Forever

Running to God isn’t easy when convincing obstacles stand in your way. For example, everyone Job knew, trusted, and was supposed to keep him accountable gave awful advice.

Job stayed faithful to God. He rebuked his friends for being wrong, and God stepped in later to intervene (Job 42:7–9).

The Bible says in Job 2:13 that Job and his friends sat together for seven days before anyone spoke.
In the face of all that pain, seven days must have felt like forever. But Job remained faithful to God through it all.

How do you fight against the obstacles in your life? You could try to put on the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10–18)—and yes, that includes prayer.

Like Job, don’t give up because others persecute you for your faith (Matthew 5:10).

Like Job, keep up the good fight.

There are battles you don’t know about—so stay faithful.