Falling to the ground.. .is it in worship or in pain?
".....he
fell to the ground in worship!"…Job 1:20
There is nothing
unusual about this verse to understand because it's very common for us to fall
on our knees and praise and worship! ! We all do it or have done it!
But it's very uncommon and extremely
difficult for us to fall down and "worship", especially just after
hearing a series of losses and disasters!!
Job is seen here doing just that!!
Job lost everything...Everything!! His
wealth, his property,his life-long earnings and most importantly his
children….all ten of them, on a single day!!
How great and unimaginable must be that loss!!
In a matter of some hours,he was informed about the losses that happened ,the disasters that had taken place and the deaths of his loved ones...one after the other! Hearing all this ,he got up, tore his clothes and shaved his head; an act of intense sorrow and pain! And then fell to the ground in worship!
Job is described as a rich , righteous, God-fearing man! He was blameless
in the sight of God and men... described by God himself(Job 1:8) but then
came the dramatic suddenness of his great trials. Job's falling down had
immense pain which is totally understandable but it's different because it also
involved worship...just hours after hearing a series of losses !!
This verse is very hard for me to mimic. I had written this article and saved it in my draft on 24th January,this year,with my dad sitting next to me. Little did I know that exactly 2 months later, on 24th of March, i wouldn’t have him with me,on earth! And my response was nowhere next to Job’s! Infact I couldn’t bring myself to pray or praise or read the bible for months because I felt it wouldn’t have been genuine worship and God knows my heart! He knew i was in pain and it would have been a façade!
But we happen to worship a God who
completely understands us, knows us, gets our every emotion,wants us to come to
him with all our raw, honest sadness and disappointments. He never expects us
to be perfect and inhuman but wants us to approach him as we are,however we
think, with all our doubts and insecurities. All he wants from us is to just
approach him and have a relationship with him! And most importantly he will
never leave us nor forsake us(Hebrews 13:5)!
So...i , like many others, have definitely fallen on the ground,
crying with a broken heart but never have I responded in worship
as instant as Job.
Maybe i didn't publish it back then so that it could help me understand the character of Job and the maturity of his faith much better!He didn't worship God for the things God could offer but just because He is Sovereign God!! And also the certainty of God's character ,his unchanging and unfathomable love for us irrespective of our behaviour,our anxieties,our fears or our subjective feelings towards God. This Merciful and immensely Gracious God is taking care of us along with the entire universe and he is shaping us and preparing us for eternity! God is in control! And God is good!
“Our faith is not a facade we erect to convince ourselves
and others that pain doesn’t hurt—it is an oak tree that can withstand the
storms of doubt and pain in our lives, and grow stronger through them.”
― Vaneetha
Rendall Risner, The Scars That Have Shaped Me: How God Meets Us in
Suffering
In the old testament, God provided the grace for people like Job to be able to do this. Now, when we have a much more dynamic relationship, we still need grace to be able to do anything. Though it feels like some personal effort is involved in our life with Christ, the best things happen when we completely depend on him, relying on him to make us the way he wants.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely true! We need God's grace for anything and everything!
DeleteAs always beautifully penned Blessy💓This kind of response doesn't come to every believer. It is a response that comes from a very deep, intense relationship that one knows is much more valuable than all one possesses. It is born out of the wisdom that has been tried through many seasons of good and bad times and the individual realises that if I have all that man desires on the earth and have not my Creator, my life and all the things I possess is worthless.
ReplyDeleteVery true..Praise is not our immediate response and it comes down to God being the first and most important.... And its not about all that he can offer us!!
DeleteThank you chechi so much!!
At times,it's difficult to praise and worship God in our tough times.
ReplyDeleteBut Job's life depicts that it could be the best time to kneel down before God!!!
A very good thought Blessy cheachi....
May God bless you and Strengthen you to write more such beautiful blogs!!!
Amazing ☺️☺️
Yea true!!..Job depicts true worship!!Thank you so much☺️
DeleteBlessy, the honesty of the raw emotions that you felt and experienced through this extremely trying time is evident in your choice of words. This is written with great depth and insight. The importance of worship in the face of adversity is clearly portrayed in the book of Job and you explained it well! May the LORD ALMIGHTY Continue to Comfort you Under the Shadow of HIS Wings and Under HIS Refuge may you Find Strength from Day to Day. May the Peace of Yahovah Shalom Fill your Heart and Mind in CHRIST JESUS. You are loved! Excellent write-up! May we fall to our Knees in True Worship������
ReplyDelete