Central Truth

There is an internal struggle in Job's heart. He has confidence in two things: God and his own integrity. Job claims to be completely confident in God while simultaneously troubled by the fact that God allowed him to be treated unjustly.

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Reflections

All I ever wanted to do when I was a child was be a musician and possibly teach music. My grandparents did it, my father did it, and my uncle did it. It runs in my blood. I practiced relentlessly and excelled in music all through school - enough to be accepted into the prestigious College of Music at the University of North Texas. I began studying under some of the most sought after professors in the country. Everything was going perfectly.

I did not grow up in a Christian home. I was saved at seventeen, about a year before I graduated high school. At that time, I figured that I could use music in some way to glorify God in my life. However, I did not realize that music was actually deterring my spiritual growth. Music was more important to me than God. It did not make sense to me because I was active in a wonderful Christian community and using my gifts to help lead others to Christ. For that reason, I quickly dismissed the idea.

My first semester of college was a great one and I finished strong. However, God continued to pull on my heart and I began getting the idea that I should go into vocational ministry. I had been a believer for less than two years; I was not the right guy for that job. I re-focused my energy on practicing, sometimes spending up to eight hours a day in the practice room so I could be the best - for God's glory, of course.

Then everything changed. I began to lose focus. I could not memorize music.  My theory classes that had always been a breeze began to suffer. I began to ask God why this was happening and even got angry with Him for a time. He reminded me that I was placing this gift that He gave me ahead of Him. I eventually changed my major. While I still play from time to time, my entire life now belongs to Him and He is continually teaching me to die to myself.

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Discussion Questions

1. Have you ever had a time in your life when it seemed that God was not acting as He should?  How did you negotiate that?

2. Are you currently struggling with some life change that is causing you to doubt?  How do you think you will get through this?

3. Are you truly confident that God is good and in control of your life?

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