The Book of Job Study Club | Passage 2 |


Everyone loses something in life. For some, they lose job after job after job. Others have lost children, or parents, or siblings. Some people have lost homes, pets, material things...you get the idea. No matter what loss it is that you have personally experienced, it was hard. I'm sure.
No loss is easy to endure, I'm not going to tell you that some are worse than others although they feel like it. That is beyond my point.

Today we are going to take a look at and consider what Job lost.
What did Job lose?

1. Oxen, donkeys, and the servants that went with them.
2. Sheep and the servants that went with them.
3. Camels and the servants that went with them.
4. His children.


What were Job's responses?

1. "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." - Job 1:21b
Notice in this response, there was no sinning from his lips or his heart. He didn't sling blame at God,or himself, he just honored God and gave him glory for the good that he had bestowed upon him previously.

2. "Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?" (in response to his wife) -Job 2:10b
The Bible then says, at the very end of that verse, "In all this Job did not sin with is lips." I wondered if the author left out the part about Job sinning with is heart at this point...Maybe Job didn't say anything, but his heart was burning with emotions...I know mine would be.


What have you lost?

My list is rather long, we have experienced a lot of loss in 8 years of being married:
-our 1st home
-our car
-multiple jobs
-status (with jobs goes money and status...)
-money (wage cuts, jobs with lesser pay, etc...)
-comfort (living pinched and on the edge)
-time (we lost so much time together as a family and as a couple over the years)


What have you gained?

-an AMAZING house
-2 cars!
-so many answered prayers
-friends - beautiful, cherished friends!!!
-faith and grace (a better understanding of each)
-peace (to really know what the Prince of Peace offers)
-regained time (God has restored much of the time that we lost)


What is your response to loss?

The answer to this question fluctuates as much as my daily pregnant moods...But, I think that I can confidently say that my response to loss is improving with each one. Every time we lose something, I feel that I respond more gently and more graciously in faith. The losses may not all feel as hard as others do but my dependence on the consistency and stability of the promises that God gives us is getting stronger with each one.

I see a balance beam - with each fall, you learn to get up better. With each miss-step, you find a way to cope gracefully and recover well. With each jump of faith, you learn to find your footing a little surer and a little stronger even if it still scares you to death.



What is your response to loss? I'd love to have a conversation with you about it - we learn so much from one another's experiences.

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4 comments

  1. This is a great exercise Kayla! I should do this tomorrow, because I love reminders of God's faithfulness.

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    1. Thank you, Rebekah! It is a good exercise. It helps put life in perspective for me. Like, ok, this is hard, but what is the good? :) He loves to lavish us with his sweetness.

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  2. I love your approach of a guided Bible study. I have experienced loss recently to some extent, and this lets me acknowledge that, but it also helps me focus on all the things I have gained.

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    1. Thank you Bella! Yes, I'm glad that it leaves it open for grief, but also looking beyond our feelings. Thanks for stopping by!

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