A Worshiping Heart – Job 1:20

Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped.

His children killed in a horrible accident and his possessions stolen by thieves, yet Job fell on his face and worshiped God.

Ponder the purity of Job’s love for God, which, even in a time of profound mourning, brought him to the ground before the Lord in worship.  Consider the depth of his understanding that everything is a gift from God, given to us for a mere whisper of time.  Listen as he demonstrates an almost incomprehensive assurance in God’s trustworthiness, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return.”[1]  Contemplate the faith of a heart crushed with the sorrow of devastating loss that bears its pain without falling into bitterness or anger at God.[2]

Job lived out his faith, and though the Lord tested him by fire, his steadfastness brought praise, honor, and glory to God.[3]  Though he could not have foreseen the disaster upon disaster that fell upon him, he was prepared to walk by grace through tribulations by having lived an exemplary life and having placed his hope and confidence in God.  He had been blameless and upright before the Lord and his associates, pleasing God by fearing Him and turning away from evil.[4]  His heart was set on honoring God, so his natural response to soul-piercing adversity was to accept it from God’s hand as he had accepted years of blessing and abundance.  Whether the season brought happiness or sorrow, he acknowledged the Lord’s omnipotence and refused to sin against Him.[5]

We each will experience adversity; the great differentiator among us will be how we respond to it.  Will we fall before God in worship, accepting trials with the same resolute spirit of joy in the Lord with which we accepted His showers of blessings, or will we shake our fist toward heaven and curse God?

By His grace, God will give us worshiping hearts if we desire them.  In His love, he will give us faithful hearts, hearts that cause us to fall to the ground, come drought or flood, scorching heat or freezing cold, rugged high terrain or deep valleys, hearts that trust Him and glorify His name though our afflictions seem relentless and unending, though our eyes can see no end to our misery.  Pray for such a heart, a heart that praises Him and rests in Him, a heart that sing hymns to His honor and glory, a heart that knows inexpressible joy without regard to temporary hardship.[6]

Through the fire, through the flood

Through endless days of loss and countless nights of weeping

I cry out in need and longing, in fear and dismay

    To the only One who can help me

    My Comforter, my Friend, Jesus

Though my soul is draped in mourning

And a veil shrouds my mind

I reach for the light

     The light that banishes the darkness

Hope rises out of my despair

A hope bound in the riches of God’s grace and kindness

A hope grounded in the gift of faith

Faith in the loving Father in whom I trust

Faith when trust seems impossible   

When hope seems beyond comprehension

Joy breaks through my turmoil

Taking up residency, crowding out my despair

And praise for my Lord returns to my heart and my lips,

For He is the help of my countenance and my God

   I thank Him for His loving-kindness and tender care

   And I rejoice for His faithfulness to me

[1] Job 1:20-21

[2] Job 1:22

[3] 1 Peter 1:7

[4] Job 1:8

[5] Job 2:10

[6] 1 Peter 1:8