“But he knows where I am going. And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold.” Job 23:10
And that brings us to a hard truth of the Christian faith:
God does not work His will for our ultimate comfort, security, or benefit. He works His will for His glory. He wants His people to recognize who He is and what He has done—and then to worship and give thanks accordingly. That is what we were created to do. That is what puts us in perfect alignment with Him. That is what gives us a soul-deep sense of fulfillment and joy.
To accomplish that, God occasionally puts us in situations from which only He can deliver us. He allows circumstances to test us so that we will draw closer to Him and rely on His resources alone to “survive and thrive.” That way, we cannot “thank our lucky stars” or compliment ourselves on our own cleverness or resourcefulness. Rather, we must say, “Only God could have done this.”
God clearly says in Scripture that He will not give His glory to another (see Isaiah 42:8). Job honestly admitted his struggles and his need for answers. Then he added what would become a classic statement of faith: “But he knows where I am going. And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold” (Job 23:10 NLT). Job was saying, “I do not know what is going on. I do not know why God has allowed these things to happen. But I know this: When I am tested, my faith will become purer and more precious.
That was God’s objective for Job. And it is His objective for us, too.
