07102021 Restored Blessing

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of the God of the abundant heart. God loves His children so much, and He is careful to show His favor and pleasure in many ways.

Lesson #46. After a time, God renews His visible blessing on those who please Him, although that blessing may not be in like fashion to previous blessing. “And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before. Then came there unto him all his brethren, and all his sisters, and all they that had been of his acquaintance before, ... Every man also gave him a piece of money, and every one an earring of gold. So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses. He had also seven sons and three daughters. ... And in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters of Job: and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren. After this lived Job an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons’ sons, even four generations” (42:10-16).

Remember how Job's story started? He was a man greatly blessed of God. He had seven sons and three daughters. He had 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and many servants. He was “the greatest of all the men of the east” (1:3). Even Satan acknowledged God's extraordinary blessing of this man. Satan said that God had greatly protected Job and had “blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land” (1:10).

When Satan’s attack came, Job lost all of these visible blessings. He lost his children. He lost his animals and servants, which meant the loss of his income. He lost his reputation. He lost his health. Job lost everything. The Bible does not indicate definitively how long Job’s trial lasted, but it appears to have been several months. These months were difficult in the extreme, and there was no indication of any end in sight. Nevertheless, God did end the suffering.

Not only did God relieve Job’s physical pain, but He gave renewed blessing. In Job's case, God’s renewed visible blessing fell into the same categories as the previous visible blessing. Job had lost his children, and God gave new children. Job had lost his animals, and God provided replacement animals. Job had lost his servants, and although the passage does not explicitly state so, it seems obvious that God also restored a contingent of servants. Job had lost his wealth, but God supplied a new nest egg of riches. Job had lost his reputation, but God proved Job's renewed reputation when his family and friends again gathered. Job had lost his health, and God restored his health.

Not only did God restore each of these blessings in kind, but in many cases, He did so in abundance. Job’s latter days were more blessed than his beginning. Job ended up with twice as much as he had previously. The numbers of animals are specifically listed, but it would seem likely that Job's liquid wealth was also doubled. These increased possessions are amazing in themselves, but they become more amazing when we stop to consider that Job had to restart from scratch. Job was not in a position where a reduced number of animals needed to reproduce in order to rebuild his flocks and herds. He had nothing left with which to start over. For most grown men, which Job was, this complete reversal of fortune would have prevented them from ever again reaching prosperity, and often not even stability. In addition to the doubled possessions, God gave Job triple generations to enjoy. In addition to new sons and daughters, he also had grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Again, for a grown man, we would not expect this particular restoration to be possible.

Job’s post-trial blessings were not limited to possessions, finances, and family. It must have been a precious day when all the acquaintances who had abandoned Job in his time of need now lined up with gifts of money in their hands and restoration of friendship in their hearts. I believe the best blessings of all were the spiritual blessings that God gave Job. In his walk with God, Job was never the same man again. He had learned precious and invaluable lessons that would bolster and enlighten his spirit for the remainder of his days. I believe he enjoyed an increased sweetness and closeness in his relationship with God. All of these various blessings combine to demonstrate one outstanding conclusion, that God was well-pleased with Job.

Not always does God restore the same kind of blessing or the same quantity of blessing, as He did in Job’s case. When His children walk with Him through dark valleys, however, God is always pleased. When God is pleased, He expresses that pleasure. That might not be in visible blessings. Wealth might not be restored. Children might not be replaced. Health may never be the same again.

The wonderful thing is that God’s immaterial blessings far exceed His material blessings. Quite honestly, a trial might end only in death, but in reality, this is the greatest blessing of all, to close one’s eyes in pain in this broken world and to open them in eternal peace and bliss in heaven. Perhaps God’s post-trial blessings will be primarily spiritual; through the trial He works such maturity that one’s relationship with God becomes exceedingly precious. After a time of suffering, a believer might find himself equipped to minister to others with effectiveness that he never previously imagined (2 Corinthians 1:4). He may find completely new ministries. He might see doors opened and contacts made that will surprise him.

If we will faithfully walk with God, earnestly seeking Him and trusting Him in the midst of our trial, I believe we can see the same conclusion that Job saw, that our latter days will be more blessed than our beginning. Whether God’s renewed expressions of blessing are material or spiritual, the important thing is what lies behind those blessings. Either way, they are the provision of God. Either way, they are the outward expressions of God’s heart. Either way, they are God’s way of reassuring His precious children and of telling them, “I am pleased with you.” What could be better than knowing that?

May God’s favor shine on you this week, and may you see various levels of His blessing.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA