I can not honestly tell you that I personally know anyone who has had an actual Job experience.
The way the account is told, I believe that it's an intentional example God has given us to be able to put our lives into perspective.
If you are unfamiliar with the story of Job, you can read it in it's entirety: here. You can also find a thorough explanation of the purpose of Job and his recorded trial :here.
But to summarize so that I can illustrate my point:
Job was an wealthy yet otherwise ordinary man who, for reasons that won't make sense to our carnal minds, God gave the devil permission to essentially destroy his life as he knew it.
In the span of 24 hours Job lost his wealth and children. His wife and friends who could only watch with a sort of morbid curiosity, offered their two cents telling him to curse God and die, or repent from his sin to end his misery.
As readers of the text, the reason we're given for Job's misfortunes was that the devil was looking for someone to "devour" and God's response was, "Have you considered my servant Job?" God then precedes to give the devil permission to take everything from Job except for his life as proof to this enemy that his love and devotion to God can withstand anything.
Like I said, it doesn't make sense to our carnal minds.
But, we know this, and Job doesn't, so he had to live through this turmoil and though he cursed the day he was born, he never turned against God.
He was frustrated with God.
He asked God why.
He even tried to get God to end the suffering on his terms.
But he didn't decide that because he was going through that God no longer existed. He didn't blame God, He didn't draw the conclusion that God was any less good, because his life was bad.
How? How was Job able to stand firm in God, even when his life was literally in shambles?
Job knew God. Job was sure of God. It didn't matter what his situation looked like, Job had an understanding and relationship with God that was really before his time.
He was absolutely steadfast in his knowledge of who God is and because of that, he preferred the fellowship of God over everything else.
Have you ever heard the phrase, "Life is hard, God is good"?
When Paul says, in Romans 8:28:
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose."
He is speaking to the confidence He has in God's Divine Plan. Ultimately, what God wants most for us, is to spend eternity with Him.
So every good, every bad and every in between that God's purposes and allows is to redirect us to Him, to the ultimate good.
This does not negate how we feel about the bad. The bad will be painful, it will be uncomfortable, it will quite plainly suck.
Yet, it drives us closer to God. These burdens were not designed for us to carry alone, God has always had every intention of carrying them with and for us, we just have to remember to seek Him and to lean on him.
"But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
2 Corinthians 12:9-11 (NIV)
Job's experience is singular. God won't allow the devil to do again what He allowed for Job, because a major point of the story was to teach us how to suffer. If Job, without the help of the Holy Spirit was able to stand on his knowledge of God to carry Him through, how much more capable are we to endure our trials until the end?
Job's ending was a double portion of blessings for his endurance. Can you trust God to the end of your trial?
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