Fear, Our Greatest Enemy

“For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me. I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came.” (Job 3:25-26 AV)

This makes no sense at all.  Job had everything going for him. He was the wealthiest of all men.  Perfect health.  The only area of concern was his children who liked feasts and wine a bit too much, and a wife who would rather curse God and die.  Prior to all the misfortune, Job says he was not in safety.  Yet he was.  He says he did not have rest.  Yet he did.  He said he was not in quiet.  Yet, he was.  Specially compared to the trouble that came.  So, what is Job talking about?  He is referring to the previous verse.  Fear!  Things were going relatively well, yet he had in the back of his mind that all good things can come to an end.  He lived in fear.  This is what motivated him to fear God and eschew evil.  This is what blessed him.  But it was also a torment.

Job learned a lesson that no other person would ever survive.  He lost everything of value to him.  Everything.  What made it worse was the absence of a justifiable reason for it.  He knew that he hadn’t recently committed sin so horrible as to warrant the loss of everything.  He saw no possible upside to it.  He saw no positive hand of God in all of this.  Yet, there was.

Job learned that even if he has to suffer the worst of all his fears, the LORD would assist him through it and bless him in the end.  He learned that no matter how horrible our fear might be, the God of all God’s is greater.  He learned that God did not owe him anything even if Job did fear him and eschew evil.  Job learned a very valuable lesson that few will ever have the privilege to learn.  He learned to experience his greatest fear and have the LORD sustain him through it.  No doubt, after this trial was all over, no matter what news would come to him in the future, he could face it without ever experiencing deep depression again.