Jentezen Franklin Daily Devotional (February 3, 2025) Love Like You’ve Never Been Hurt (Part 2).
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?” Romans 8:35
Job lost everything. He lost his house, all his riches, and his livelihood. Then, in one day, he lost all of his children. After that, his health went bad. His wife fell into despair and told him to curse God and die. It’s human nature to want someone to blame when terrible things happen that are not in your control.
But Job loved God and was grounded in his relationship with him. He would not take the “natural” path and blame God. He said (paraphrased), “No, I will not curse God. I’m going to love God like I’ve never been hurt. God could have stopped this, but I refuse to be mad at Him.” He said, “The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” Job was saying that nothing was more important than his relationship with God, and there was nothing that would cause him to stop loving God.
Job had three friends who told him he was to blame for what had happened to his family. They kicked him while he was down. But Job refused to hold it against them, and the scriptures tell us that he prayed for his friends. Notice that after he forgave them and prayed for them, God gave Job twice as much as he had before.
There’s a powerful takeaway from this story. If you keep the right spirit towards God and others in all circumstances, God will bring you double the love, joy, and peace one day. You may not understand everything that will happen in this life, but you must always stand firm on the truth that God is good. If you can stay grounded in that truth, there is nothing you can’t make it through. One day, when you meet God in Heaven, it will all make sense, but until then, trust His love.
