Egging You On! Beating Life's Difficulties & Cracking on With GodSample

Job - The Devilled Egg

Job lived a solid Christian life. He had a strong faith in God, he was loyal to his family, kind to the poor, respected in his community. Job was an all-round good egg.

The devil appears before God and asks permission to cause chaos in Job's life - hence Job being referred to as our 'devilled egg'. Subsequently, Job loses his cattle, many of his family are killed and he ends up with a body full of sores. The devil does everything within his power to turn Job away from God. Job's wife tells him to 'curse God and die' but Job replies by saying: 'Shall we accept good from God and not trouble?' (Job 2:9-10). Job clings to faith in God, despite the utter horror of the events surrounding him.

You may feel as Job did, that good things have been stolen from you. If this resonates with you, try to allow these circumstances to refine you. Spiritual refining happens when we experience trials and troubles but we allow ourselves to be transformed through them. They are a vehicle by which we draw closer to God and the impurities within us are skimmed off.

Job said: 'When he has tested me, I will come forth as gold'. Even through the unjust, unfair, or even heart-breaking circumstances we face, we can be refined, and the gold within us can shine through.

There's a situation I've recently been through in which I feel I've been robbed - years of the enemy causing pain and misunderstanding has come to light. One truth I'm trying my best to cling onto is the promise that God will 'restore the years the locusts have eaten'. (Joel 2:25).

In a 'devilled egg,' the yolk gets removed, while extra ingredients are added and then the yolk is eventually put back in its place. The egg ends up in a better state than it was originally. As with a devilled egg, sometimes in life, we feel like our innards have been scooped out, as life's challenges can be so painful. But God will restore us and add back to our lives if we continue to trust him. Job 42:12 says 'The Lord blessed the latter part of Job's life more than the former part.' God can add back even more than what has been lost. If you feel robbed today, hold onto hope with all you've got and be determined to allow the refining process to happen and for that gold to shine through.

Reflection

Reflect on Job's incredible loyalty, integrity, and trust in God, throughout the worst life circumstances imaginable.