Job 42:10 When Job prayed for his friends, the LORD restored his fortunes. In fact, the LORD gave him twice as much as before!
God’s 1st best unfurls in the lives of those who show compassion, empathy and forgiveness. The Bible doesn’t say how long Job suffered from the loss and grief. Bible scholars believe that his time of testing would have lasted somewhere between 2 years to 10 years. Job lost everything but he did not lose his faith. In the darkest of times he said, Yet He knows the way I have taken; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold (Job 23:10). Job did not know why he was going through the suffering and inexplicable sorrow yet, he believed that God will see him through.
Job was the most affluent and influential man of his time before he lost his fortune, friends and family. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East (Job 1:2b). The sudden devastation that swept everything away from him left him in desolation. He could not understand the cause behind the calamity. His friends tried to convince him that it was God’s wrath and judgment. But Job could not make sense of the reasoning. He argued, lamented, wept and wailed but he never gave up his faith.
Job could not endure the belaboring of his friends and the burden of the loss yet, he prayed for his friends. The Lord rebuked Job’s friends for framing the reasons for Job’s baffling anguish. After the Lord had said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has (Job 42:7). God did not accept the sin offering of the three friends until Job prayed for them. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly (Job 42:8). God’s hand of restoration started blessing Job the moment he prayed for his friends who attacked, wounded and belittled him.
Secret of God’s 1st best:
1. Friends: Forgiving friends who have let us down when we needed them the most is the secret to unlocking God’s 1st best for us. People are people. Forgive the friends who smirched you instead of comforting you. Forgiveness means, we don’t hold their folly against the offender and no longer ruminate on the evil done to us.
2. Family: Forgive the family members who did not rejoice in your promotion and celebrate your success. Family would have witnessed our weaknesses. So, there are many a times they struggle to see how God can turn our weakness into strength. Be gracious to those who were ruthless to you.
3. Foes: Forgiving our foes is powerful. When we start praying for the salvation of our enemies we move to a different plateau of God’s favour. Blessing our foes inundates us with divine favour.
The pathway to God’s 1st best is through suffering, endurance and forgiveness.
Job 42:12 The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part.
Prayer: Father God, when I’m in the dark help me to trust in your faithfulness for suffering produces godly character in me to inherit your 1st best. Amen.
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