Job 13

This chapter of Job contains one of my most favorite verses in the Bible and one of the most beautiful things Job said during the course of his ordeal: "Even if God kills me, I will still trust him." (vs 15) Wow—what a statement! Job knew God so well and trusted Him so much that he felt comfortable to place his life totally in God’s hands.

Incidentally, although Job didn’t know it at the time, this declaration was a direct affront to Satan’s assertion at the beginning of the book: "Job honors God for a good reason. You have put a hedge around him, his family, and everything he owns. You have blessed the things he has done. His flocks and herds are so large they almost cover the land. But reach out your hand and destroy everything he has, and he will curse you to your face." (Job 1:9-11)

In effect, Job was saying, Even if God pulls down the hedge that surrounds me, I will still trust in Him. Right here, we can see that Satan was totally wrong about Job. We’re not even halfway through the book yet, and God is vindicated as being the one who can read the heart. He knew His friend Job, and He knew Job would trust Him no matter what.

But encountering Job’s wonderful statement also brought to mind something else I was reading earlier this week. It’s from Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, from the chapter titled "Is Christianity Hard or Easy?"

"Christ says, 'Give me all. I don’t want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work: I want you. I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it. No half-measures are any good. I don’t want to cut off a branch here and a branch there, I want to have the whole tree down. Hand over the whole natural self, all the desires which you think innocent as well as the ones you think wicked—the whole outfit. I will give you a new self instead. In fact, I will give you Myself.'"

I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it. Whoa. Can that be true? Does God want to kill us? Well (and here you see "the catch" to the title) yes, God wants to "kill" our natural selves, our sinful selves, and make us new creatures in Christ.

Paul said the same thing in 2 Corinthians 5:17. "For if a man is in Christ, he becomes a new person altogether—the old person is dead and gone, everything has become fresh and new." I believe Jesus also touched on this when He talked about the root of murder being anger at a brother or sister and how adultery can be committed in the mind (Matt 5). He was telling people that to control one’s carnal behavior isn’t enough. He wants to tear down the "man of sin" and totally create us new from the inside out! He doesn’t just want me to "control" my sinful heart. He wants to give me a brand new one!

Is this process "hard" or "easy" for us? What do you think?

I don’t think it’s easy. I mean, I know that I need to be a "new creature," and there is part of me that wants that. But there is another part of me that sorta likes the "old" woman. Yes, I will be shameless enough to admit that I like some of my sinful thoughts and rebellious ways. And I’m not too sure I want to give God free reign to change whatever He wants. There’s a part of me that fears I might end up being a humorless prude if I let God take out my old heart and mind and replace it with a new one.

In that sense, I saw Job’s words in a whole new way today, though I would change one word in this application: Even as God kills me, I will still trust in Him. I will trust that He knows the person I was truly created to be. I will trust that He knows what brings true happiness, joy, and freedom in this life. I will trust that He can mold me into the kind of person I never thought I could be—someone who is more alive and vibrant than I could ever imagine. I will trust that He is still the genius Creator.

So, I don’t know about you, but today, I’m giving God permission to kill me—the old me, the woman of sin—and start over. I’m giving Him permission to take the whole tree down, pluck up the roots, and plant something new and wonderful in my life. I’m giving Him permission to remove my old self and, in its place, give me His self.

And, like Job, I trust that He will do right by me.