“Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him …” (Job 13:15)
Job’s losses crushed him and astounded his friends. What horrible, secret sins must this seeming man of God have committed to bring upon himself such devastation?
The crucified Jesus provoked a similar response. The one who had been on the top of the world, with multitudes flocking to only touch Him, was now no one to envy. We read: “… The Messiah will be cut off and have nothing.” (Dan. 9:26) The last vestige of what Jesus possessed was stripped from Him. What to do with it? “They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.” (Psa. 22:18) The onlookers shook their heads at the naked figure on the cross and derided His supposed trust and delight in the Lord. How? How could the beloved of the Lord end up like this? No, they thought, this is not the way God operates. God’s blessings are upon the head of just. This man could not be favored and blessed of God. He must be a transgressor, cursed and smitten by God.
Our hearts are greatly tried through loss, especially when we cannot trace our loss to a transgression. We know how dear our possessions are to us. God wants to know how dear He is to us. When our world is emptied of all but God it is discovered whether God is truly all our world. If we really delight in the Lord, we will still be able to rejoice when all else that was near and dear to us is no more. If we really trust in the Lord we will continue to believe that we are the Lord’s beloved and a day of resurrection is still ahead for us.