And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. Then came to him all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and ate bread with him in his house. And they showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him. And each of them gave him a piece of money and a ring of gold. ~ Job 42:10-11
Job has one of the hardest stories to grasp in the Bible. He was such a righteous man that he was the wager of God and Satan. Satan is allowed to torment Job and afflict him for a certain amount of time. It wasn’t just superficial things that Satan took from him and afflicted him with. Job lost everything. He lost his children. His fortune. His health. It was so bad that Job’s wife told him to curse God and die. Job’s response is, shall I only accept good from God and not also the bad? Wow. What a response. In spite of it all, Job didn’t lose sight of the God whom he served. And because of this, Job’s reward was double what he had.
I used to think this was the end of Job’s story, but there was more. Job wasn’t an only child. He had siblings. Nevertheless, they didn’t come to him. They didn’t check in on him. They didn’t comfort him. There was no communication between Job and his siblings until after the LORD restored to Job all that he lost and more. So many of us would see that as them using him. I know I sure would feel used, but what if Job’s trial was used by God in order to restore his relationship with his siblings? God takes what the Devil meant for our evil and makes it for our good.
Job’s siblings didn’t just come to him after he was restored. They comforted him and had sympathy for him. Their love for their brother was restored. Not only that, but they also brought gifts for him. Why would they bring gifts? Could it be an apology for the distance? Maybe they were jealous like Cain was of Abel. Maybe they were bereaved by the blessings and favor Job had received from God. Maybe they felt less than around him. The Bible doesn’t say, but we can safely assume there was distance between them. And when God restored Job, He restored his relationships with his siblings as well.
Be encouraged. Lay your desires of reconciliation at the feet of Jesus. Pray for His favor. Pray for His forgiveness. Pray for His restoration.
Peace. Love. Go Forth and Pray and Watch For Restoration.
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