Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him (Job 13:15)
What does it mean to endure a trial? It means the difficulty of the situation doesn’t provoke any change of attitude and actions toward God. It is to trust His sovereignty; that is, the shepherd who leads to green pastures and beside still waters is the same one that leads through the valley of the shadow of death. We often forget that Job was recommended to Satan by God. Why? Because Job could take it. Never did Job sin or curse God. God hedged Job in and protected him when he was not ready. God never allowed more than Job could bear. Yet the day came when Job had gathered enough from God to stand a test. And in the thickness of dark and heavy affliction, what God put in Job came out, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.” Can you hear Job singing the first psalm, “Like a tree planted by the rivers of water, I shall not be moved.” The fact is, Job found out that the valley of the shadow of death is as green as any pasture one will ever find. He exclaimed, having matured, “I found things too wonderful to know.” What did Job find? He found that God had given him great patience, unrealized strength, unshakable faith, but most of all he found out more about God than he’d ever known before. God trusted Job with a trial and Job trusted God through that trial.
