When Hard Work isn’t Enough….

Job 3:25-26 - What I always feared has happened to me. I was not fat and lazy, yet trouble struck me down.” (TLB)

It’s easy to think that the harder we work; the better things will go for us. In this series so far, we have seen that God expects us to be diligent with our gifts and callings. But it would be extremely dishonest and naïve to conclude that if we are continually hard-working, then we will always see great results. We know from experience that this isn’t true and in today’s passage we see this play out in Job.

When this happens how should we respond?

Firstly, as we have seen in Job, it is okay to be honest with God. There is nothing wrong with us expressing our disappointment and confusion to the Lord. This is not a sign of a lack of faith but rather a sign of our humanness. The Psalms are littered with such prayers of lament and disappointment. We don’t understand everything that we experience. We all see through a glass darkly (1 Cor. 13:12) and even Jesus on the cross, questioned whether the Father had left him (Matt. 27:46).

Secondly, although difficult, it would be helpful to remember that our ‘results’ are not because of any hard work that we have done but because God has given us the increase (1 Cor. 3:6). We are his partners in acting his will on the earth. So, if we have been willing and obedient rather than feeling disappointment in ourselves, we should consider praying just as Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane, ‘Okay, Lord, this is hard but I have done my bit. Nevertheless, not my will but your will be done. ‘

Questions to think about: Am I disappointed by the results of my hard work? Have I expressed my disappointment honestly to the Lord? Am I willing to accept the will of God in my life?

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