Job’s Fear
25 For the thing I feared has overtaken me, and what I dreaded has happened to me. Job 3:25 HCSB
For all of Job’s righteousness and faith, he had harbored a fear. Job was a very wealthy man, he had much livestock and land. Job was also a family man, with many sons and daughters. He was the picture of prosperity, and regaled by his community and peers. Job was also a righteous man, and showed this with his daily sacrifices to the Lord God. His trust in God was evident and unmistakable. Through the book of Job his friends give him advice which the Lord requires Job’s prayer for them to forgive. So their advice was wrong! Job WAS a righteous man, and this was NOT proof of sin in his life!
However, this verse tells us that Job had harbored a fear. This was admitted by Job after he lost his wealth, his family, his status, and his health. Before that, he was on top of the world. After his losses, he was at the bottom of his world. That is the point in which he admitted his fear. This fear is a sign of a lack of faith in God. I don’t mean to sound harsh, but we have recently discussed how God expects us to serve God by putting Him first, and not to serve money. Well, this is the same thing. Job was harboring a fear of the loss of his wealth, family, and health. This showed that he had not put God first and foremost in his life.
When God is most important, then the loss of anything else becomes minor. When our trust in God is true, then our fears are unfounded and subsequently disappear. If we truly trust God, then we have no reason to fear (or worry, if that word hits you better. Same idea.). We need to place our fears (worries, concerns, etc.) at the foot of the cross, laying them at Jesus’ feet, and start trusting Him today!
When Christ is in our life, we have no place for fear!
