God’s Construction Project

If you return to the Almighty you will be built up. – Job 22:23

As people come to know the Lord, it can be tempting to only think in terms of “if” and “then.” There are many times in the Bible that you read the word “if.” A quick online search says that little word occurs 1,673 times in the English Standard Version, and close to the same number in other versions or translations. That little word can be both problematic and a puzzle. It often brings on what psychologists call conditional reasoning because it does not stand alone. Generally, it can be taken that “if” references a true problem, ”then” will also be true. But is this always the case? Can a relationship with God be so easily defined by a formula? Is God a puzzle to be solved?

In the passage that precedes today’s verse in Job 22, Job’s friends make a lot of statements about God that sound good at first glance. However, they are really misunderstandings of God hidden behind half-truths and cliché ideas. Much like modern platitudes that you might hear in church or on social media, the idioms come without context and without a real understanding of the dynamic and living relationship we each have with the Almighty God.

Job had not strayed from God, therefore the call for him to return was misplaced. Job’s suffering was for the greater purposes of God, not a result of sin. While good does come from receiving instruction from God and hiding His words in your heart, it does not prevent every heartache or adversity. Sometimes, as God works out your good and His eternal purposes, you will still face trials and tribulations along the way.

To be God’s construction project, being continually reshaped and built up spiritually, there’s only one thing to do: you must remain close to Him. Have faith that, as you walk in nearness with Him, no matter what happens, God is at work, God is with you, and God is good.