The Lord Can Restore and Multiply you
When Job prayed for his friends, the LORD restored his fortunes.
In fact, the LORD gave him twice as much as before!
Then all his brothers, sisters and former friends came and feasted with him in his home. And they consoled him and comforted him because of all the trials the LORD had brought against him. And each of them brought him a gift of money and a gold ring.
So the LORD blessed Job in the second half of his life even more than in the beginning.
For now he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 teams of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys.
He also gave Job seven more sons and three more daughters.
He named his first daughter Jemimah, the second Keziah, and the third, Keren-happuch.
In all the land no women were as lovely as the daughters of Job. And their father put them into his will along with their brothers.
Job lived 140 years after that, living to see four generations of his children and grandchildren.
Then he died, an old man who had lived a long, full life. (Job 42:10-17, NLT)
In fact, the LORD gave him twice as much as before!
Then all his brothers, sisters and former friends came and feasted with him in his home. And they consoled him and comforted him because of all the trials the LORD had brought against him. And each of them brought him a gift of money and a gold ring.
So the LORD blessed Job in the second half of his life even more than in the beginning.
For now he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 teams of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys.
He also gave Job seven more sons and three more daughters.
He named his first daughter Jemimah, the second Keziah, and the third, Keren-happuch.
In all the land no women were as lovely as the daughters of Job. And their father put them into his will along with their brothers.
Job lived 140 years after that, living to see four generations of his children and grandchildren.
Then he died, an old man who had lived a long, full life. (Job 42:10-17, NLT)
What an ending!
Here is a righteous man, Job, who was reduced from riches to rags!
He lost everything he had, including his entire family. His body was covered in boils from head to toe and he was left to sit in ashes, scraping his body with a piece of broken pottery. His body must have been constantly itching. He became so emaciated that his friends couldn't even recognize him when they heard about his plight and came by to see him.
Instead of consoling him, they actually suspected that Job had been secretly sinning behind his public acts of righteousness, hence the suffering inflicted on him by God. Job lost his place of honor in society. He became a by-word in society and was the subject of jokes and derision. Even his wife turned her back on him and encouraged Job to curse God and die! In her view, holding onto his integrity and faith in God was not worth it.
But all through his ordeal, Job did not sin with his mouth. He sure had many questions for God, but he did not despise or sin against God. He simply wondered and questioned the ways of God.
When God finally spoke, Job realized that God was not silent or absent during his ordeal. God was watching over him all along. Job's personal divine encounter made him realize that God is too profound to be understood by simple humans and that God is powerful and always in control. Job realized that God has plans to prosper His children and not to harm them. God ended up restoring the fortunes of Job to an even greater level. God restored and multiplied.
As we go through the challenges of life, there may be times when we feel reduced to nothing. There may be times when we feel as if all we have has been taken away -- friends, family, reputation, possessions, and progress. But listen: In the end, God always wins.
Pray for God to open your spiritual eyes to what He is allowing you to go through. Be steadfast and unrelenting in your faith and in your obedience. If you stick long enough with God you will see His goodness because, in the end, God always wins. God can restore and multiply you beyond imagination. Believe it and keep pressing on!
Here is a righteous man, Job, who was reduced from riches to rags!
He lost everything he had, including his entire family. His body was covered in boils from head to toe and he was left to sit in ashes, scraping his body with a piece of broken pottery. His body must have been constantly itching. He became so emaciated that his friends couldn't even recognize him when they heard about his plight and came by to see him.
Instead of consoling him, they actually suspected that Job had been secretly sinning behind his public acts of righteousness, hence the suffering inflicted on him by God. Job lost his place of honor in society. He became a by-word in society and was the subject of jokes and derision. Even his wife turned her back on him and encouraged Job to curse God and die! In her view, holding onto his integrity and faith in God was not worth it.
But all through his ordeal, Job did not sin with his mouth. He sure had many questions for God, but he did not despise or sin against God. He simply wondered and questioned the ways of God.
When God finally spoke, Job realized that God was not silent or absent during his ordeal. God was watching over him all along. Job's personal divine encounter made him realize that God is too profound to be understood by simple humans and that God is powerful and always in control. Job realized that God has plans to prosper His children and not to harm them. God ended up restoring the fortunes of Job to an even greater level. God restored and multiplied.
As we go through the challenges of life, there may be times when we feel reduced to nothing. There may be times when we feel as if all we have has been taken away -- friends, family, reputation, possessions, and progress. But listen: In the end, God always wins.
Pray for God to open your spiritual eyes to what He is allowing you to go through. Be steadfast and unrelenting in your faith and in your obedience. If you stick long enough with God you will see His goodness because, in the end, God always wins. God can restore and multiply you beyond imagination. Believe it and keep pressing on!
Prayer: Father, I look forward to restoration and multiplication in every area of my life. Amen!