But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold. My foot has held fast to his steps; I have kept his way and have not turned aside. I have not departed from the commandment of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food.
– Job 23:10–12
Wow. What a picture of steadfast faith. Even amidst Job’s suffering. Amidst his questions, amidst all his wrestling with what has happened in his life. Why this is happening, he says, he knows the way that I take talking about God, and when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold.
Job 23:10–12 teaches us difficult circumstances grow our faith.
This is a picture we see all throughout the Bible of suffering in difficult circumstances, purifying us and purifying our faith. This is what James talks about when James says, consider it pure joy. When you face trials of many kinds brothers, for you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance and perseverance makes us complete, mature, not lacking anything
Ah, to see the way Job’s holding fast. He says, verse 11, my foot has held fast to his steps. I’ve kept his way of not turned aside, have not departed from the commandment of his lips. And I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food.
Oh, when you and I walk through difficult days, let’s hold fast to the words of God more important to us than food. Let’s hold fast to the commandments of God. Brothers, let’s not turn aside from God even amidst our questions, even amidst our struggles. Let’s hold fast to the commandment of God’s lips. Treasure his Word more than food and trust that he will refine us. And not just trust, but to ask God to do all of his refining work that He desires to do as we walk through trials holding fast to him and coming out like gold.
Job 23:10–12 teaches us to desire to have a purified faith.
Oh God, we pray for this in our lives. We want our faith to be refined like gold. Lord, we want it to be purified. We want our hearts and our minds to be sanctified fully. So help us, we pray amidst the struggles of this world amidst suffering in this world. Help us to hold fast to your steps, to keep your way to not turn aside from you.
God, keep us from turning aside from you. When we walk through suffering, help us not depart from the commandment of your lips and help us to treasure the words of your mouth more than food itself to long for it like our daily bread, especially when we’re walking through our days to clinging to your Word, to feast on your Word and your promises that are the only foundation that will get us through. And God, we pray that you would make us like gold, that you would refine our faith through trials so that we come out on the other side more like Jesus and more in love with you, and more trusting of you and more obedient to you.
Prayer for the Malay People
God, please may it be so because we know you are worthy of our trust. And God, we pray that you would help us to lead other people to trust in you. God, we cannot imagine walking through hard days, through suffering, and pain in this world without the hope we have in the gospel. God, help us to share the gospel, the good news of your grace of hope in you, of eternal life in you with people around us today, and God, for people around the world.
As we pray for unreached people for the Cocos Island Malay people today, and any other unreached people like them, God, for 3 billion people like them in the world who are suffering in this world without the hope of the gospel, God, we pray that you would help us to faithfully spread the gospel to them, even amidst our suffering. God help us to share the good news of your grace with people around us. The hope we have in Jesus, and people around the world like the Cocos Island Malay people who’ve never heard the good news of your grace and the hope that is found in Jesus. Oh God, we pray all of this according to your Word, in Jesus name. Amen.