“The whole duty of man is summed up in obedience to God’s will.” —George Washington
Here’s some good news! “Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did as the Lord commanded them; for the Lord had accepted Job” (Job 42:9). After all the fussing and fuming, with no arguments now, they did what God commanded. We never get far away from the truth of the old hymn, “Trust and obey, For there’s no other way To be happy in Jesus, But to trust and obey” (J.H. Sammis). No doubt these lines are based on the Lord’s own words, “If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them” (Jn 13:17, KJV). It’s interesting how Job’s friends received benefit just for being associated with him. Similarly, unsaved family members of a believer come under special attention from heaven (1 Cor 7:12-14). My father used to thank the Lord for the other passengers on the plane when he was traveling. He believed they were protected because he was on board, flying in formation with his guardian angels! Now notice the words “accepted Job” in this verse. They literally mean that the Lord “lifted up the face of Job.” Looking down will always get us down. The ministry I’ve been associated with for almost 60 years has as its byline, “When the outlook is dark, try the uplook.” In these dark and troubled times, how much God’s people need this kind of facelift! The wrinkles might remain, but the burdens will be lifted. I daresay there will be more smile lines than frown lines. This was David’s daily exercise to stay spiritually fit. “My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning I will direct it to You, and I will look up” (Ps 5:3). What’s up? No, it’s Who’s up—“the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up” (Isa 6:1). What a great reminder of the One really in charge!