Devotion Booklets for Seasons of the Church Year Lent 2018 | Page 28

True Security
Thursday, March 8th
Job 31:24-28
Job was a man who had it all. He was the Bill Gates of the ancient near east. He was the richest man in
the land, blessed with flocks, herds, servants, and ten children to boot. And not only that, but Job
feared God and shunned evil. He was truly blessed, righteous by faith in his Savior God.
Job was also a man who lost it all. Satan desperately wanted Job’s soul (as he wants each of ours) and he
thought the way to get it was to rob Job of all of his earthly blessings. In rapid succession, Job’s earthly
life came crashing down around him. His herds of donkeys and oxen were stolen by raiding bands. His
flocks were consumed by fire. His camels were carried off by and servants put to the sword. Even his
beloved children were killed when the roof of the house they were gathered in collapsed. Then, to add
insult to injury, Job’s health quickly deteriorated. He was covered with painful sores from the top of his
head to the soles of his feet. In his misery and suffering even Job’s wife offered no comfort. “His wife
said to him, ‘Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die’” (Job 2:9)! But Job didn’t do
that. “He replied, ‘You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not
trouble?’ In all this, Job did not sin in what he said” (Job 2:10).
Maybe at some point, in some small way, you have felt like Job. Maybe things were going great for a
time, but then it all fell apart. Maybe you lost a job, a relationship, your family, or a loved one to death.
Those are painful losses! Especially when you’ve been seeking your security in them. Sometimes losing
earthly blessings helps us realize we’ve been depending on created things instead of the Creator. I can’t
give you a specific reason why God has allowed you to experience loss in your life, but I can tell you
that the trials God allowed Job to endure were to reveal and strengthen Job’s faith. Job knew that none
of the things he had in life provided true security because all those things can be lost. However, Job
knew that what (or rather who) provides true security is the one whom Job would never lose – his
Savior God. That means even if we have no material possessions at all, but we have the one who loved
us so much that he came to live and die for us, we have everything we need. We have an eternity of
blessings that cannot spoil, fade, or perish, because we have a God who has forgiven us, saved us, and
promised us a forever home with him. That’s the only true security there is.
Prayer: Lord, help me to see that all I really need is you. Amen.
Activity: Make a list of the things we have that are really nice, but we could live without. Point out that
this list does not include just things we would consider luxuries, but finally everything except our
Savior God. Remember Job’s attitude: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart
The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised” (Job 1:21).
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