When I was a child, I loved listening to Patch the Pirate. One of my favorite songs was “Rejoice in the Lord.” The chorus of the song ends with the words, “And when I am tried and purified, I shall come forth as gold.” This statement comes from Job’s words in Job 23:10, But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.
I have heard sermons and lessons in the past that were based on this verse. Often, I have found this promise as a comfort when I was facing a difficult time; however, as I was reading this verse a few days ago, I was struck by the two verses that come right before it. Job said in Job 23:8-9, Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him: On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him: Just before stating that famous verse, Job said, “I can’t find God.”
Many years ago when I was a child, I once decided to leave a store a different way than my mom did. I was planning to end up at the same door as her, but I was going to take a shortcut by walking through the clothes section. I got turned around a little in the clothes, and I could not find my mom. I walked back to where I had left her, and she was not there. I went toward the door and did not see her there. It was then that I began to panic! I finally did find her, and when I did, she was not worried at all. She had known where I was even when I did not know where she was.
In a similar fashion, Job was looking for God as he was facing the greatest trial of his life. He had lost his family, his wealth, and his health. His wife literally told him in Job 2:9 to …curse God, and die. His friends, who supposedly had come to comfort him, sat with him and told him all the things he must have done wrong to incur God’s wrath. Job looked to God for comfort, but he could not find Him. He said, “I looked everywhere for Him.” The Bible tells us that Job covered all the likely places to find God. Job himself recounted, …I go forward,…and backward,… On the left hand,…on the right hand,… He seemed to have done his best to find God, but he could not.
I am sure most of us, if not all of us, can relate to Job. Sometimes, it may seem that we cannot find God in our darkest times. We face trials and cannot find the words to pray. We experience seasons in which we feel as though He is distant from us.
I love that Job did not stop at verse 9, though. In verse 10 he said, But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. He said, “I cannot find God, but He knows where I am! He knows exactly what is going on in my life. I can take comfort in the fact that even when I feel as though God does not know what I am facing, He in fact knows everything!”
These verses remind me of the poem “Footprints in the Sand” by Mary Stevenson. The last two stanzas question where God was during the difficult times and then reveal the answer:
“You promised me Lord, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always.
But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life there has only been one set of footprints in the sand.
Why, when I needed you most, have you not been there for me?”
The Lord replied,
“The years when you have seen only one set of footprints, my child, is when I carried you.”
Even when it seems that God is hiding, He is always there. He has promised us in Hebrews 13:5, …I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. We can take comfort in knowing that even when we feel as though we cannot find Him, He always knows exactly where we are!
by Vicki Voorhis
