As I prayed over the topic the Lord had for me to consider today, and these words came into focus, I admit, I didn’t want to type them. I don’t feel like an expert on this front. I may have said even a year ago that I felt more confident discerning the voice of my Lord, but then I walked through a period of trial that caused me to doubt and question, do I really know the voice of my Lord?

Further, I realized a doubt cloaked in the guise of self preservation and wise discernment came.

Do I trust the voice of my Lord?

As humans, our flesh is bred to believe the lie that when things are going well, it must be because we did something right. Contrarily, we believe that when things are tough, and trials come, that it must mean that God is displeased and that we are being punished. However, walking through a trial isn’t an indication that I hadn’t rightly heard the voice of the Lord and obeyed. I don’t need to look any further than the book of Job to know this to be true. Job 1:1 states, “In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.” The writer of Job establishes, in the opening line of the book, that Job is blameless, upright, feared God, and shunned evil. These characteristics, if my flesh logic is correct, should mean that Job will face no adversity from this point forward. Certainly, God would be pleased with a man like this and therefore, have no cause to punish him. But, Isaiah 55:8-9 tells us of the Lord, “my thoughts are not your thoughts, my ways are it your ways. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” And so, as we read on in Job, we learn that not only does “good behavior,” not always yield “good results,” but we also gain understanding into exactly where the source of trial, destruction, and death come from.

Job 1: 6-12, “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. 7 The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” 8 And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” 9 Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? 10 Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 11 But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.” 12 And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.”

In this ethereal exchange we gain critical insight into the nature of God and the tactics of the enemy. First, Satan is among those who come to present themselves before the Lord. He has been given authority for a time, but it is not omniscient authority. Satan still has to present Himself before the Lord. 2 Corinthians 4:4 reveals, “The god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ.” The “god” of this world, refers to Satan. He has been given authority for a time, but not eternally. Jesus says Heaven and earth will pass away, but that His words will never pass away (Matthew 24:35). When this world passes away, so will the reign that Satan has been given. Second, it is the Lord who brings Job to Satan’s attention, “Have you considered my servant Job?” If we reflect back to Isaiah 55:8, we remember that God’s ways are not our ways, His thoughts not our thoughts. We know that God works together all things for the good of those who love Him, and have been called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). We know that God had a purpose for drawing Job to Satan’s attention, and that the purpose was good. However, this does not mean that good things were about to happen to Job even though he was righteous. And yet, God was working those things together for the good of Job, despite his despair and suffering, the goodness of God was not diminished. Neither was Job’s conduct the cause of despair and suffering, which means that despair and suffering is not viewed by God in the same way as it is viewed by us. He has the whole picture, while we just have a small window. Finally, Satan misunderstands a critical element of the believer’s source of hope in that he associates our loyalty and faith to that which he can impact: our physical and temporary state. He falsely believed that by impacting Job’s life in such a negative way that Job’s spirit would reject the Giver of life and all things, in whom Job knew was redemption and recognized this as a greater state than any temporal belonging.

Job 1: 21 reveals the rightful position of the heart in response to suffering and trial.

Job 1: 12-21 states, “The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.”

Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

¹³ One day when Job’s sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, ¹⁴ a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby, ¹⁵ and the Sabeans attacked and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”

¹⁶ While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The fire of God fell from the heavens and burned up the sheep and the servants, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”

¹⁷ While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”

¹⁸ While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, “Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, ¹⁹ when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”

²⁰ At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship ²¹ and said:

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
    and naked I will depart.
The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away;
    may the name of the Lord be praised.”

Understanding God’s will isn’t exactly as mystical as it may at times seem. 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18 says, “rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” The will of God is to rejoice always, and pray without ceasing. The will of God is to give thanks in everything. Job was stripped of every blessing, his livelihood, his belongings, his future, his children. In response, he fell to the ground and worshipped.

Job says something else that has always confounded and amazed me. A statement of such assured hope, in the midst of such egregious crises, heartache the likes of which I can only imagine, and gives me such hope. In Job 19:25, Job says, “For I know that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth.” Job knew that, in the end, the things of this world are temporal but my Redeemer will stand. In that day, the agony and heartache of this world will fade. The tears will dry. The doubt and fear will flee in the face of His glory. Knowing this adjusts and aligns the pathways of the heart necessary to open channels of gratitude that flood my heart with His grace.

Gratitude is easier when things are going well. It’s much harder leaving the clinic with a cancer diagnosis. It’s not as simple while walking through the tender ground of a cemetery with your back to the loved one who isn’t coming home. It’s much harder in these moments.

But, the will of God is to give thanks.

So, how do I know when the voice of the Lord is speaking to me versus my own idealization of circumstances? As well intended as they may be, they still aren’t the perfect and sovereign understanding of a holy God. Discerning the voice of the Holy Spirit begins with walking closely, knowing the Lord, so that when trials come I don’t forget that He is good. Discerning the voice of the Holy Spirit comes with a critical check question: Am I giving thanks in this trial? Bad things don’t mean that God has forsaken us. Bad things mean there is an enemy constantly seeking to undermine God. Reject his attempts to take your eyes off the giver of every good and perfect gift and cling to the hope that is in Jesus Christ.

Today is the day of salvation. If rejoicing during trial seems like a language you don’t speak, the words will come into focus when rejoicing during trial means a heart overflowing with gratitude in response to the sacrificial death of a sinless savior who erased the debt of sin, and imparted righteousness in its place. Receive the joy of salvation today.

God bless.