Reorder Priorities

As we fully pursue the emotions in times of suffering, our minds engage in a way that causes us to see life from a new perspective.  Reflecting on life from a different perspective, leads us to the next marker of reordering one’s priorities.  Suffering, pain, reveals the values and important qualities reminding us of what truly is significant in life.

The Book of Job provides biblical support for the idea of reflecting on and reordering one's priorities through Job’s journey of suffering and subsequent restoration. Job’s experience highlights how profound trials can lead to deep self-reflection and a re-evaluation of one's values and priorities. Here are some key points from Job that illustrate this process:

1. Job’s Initial Understanding and Priorities

Job is described as a man who was “blameless” and “upright,” who “feared God” and “shunned evil.” This initial description sets Job up as a person with strong moral and spiritual priorities.

Job 1:1 “In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.”

2. Job’s Suffering and Re-Evaluation

Job’s deep suffering leads him to curse the day of his birth, indicating a profound shift in his emotional state and perspective. This emotional upheaval prompts him to reflect on his life and his values.

Job 3:1-3 “After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. He said: ‘May the day of my birth perish, and the night that said, “A boy is conceived!”’”

3. Job’s Dialogue and Reflection

Job reflects on his past prosperity and how he was respected and blessed by God. This reflection on his former state of well-being prompts him to reassess what he values and how he understands his relationship with God.

Job 29:2-5 “How I long for the months gone by, for the days when God watched over me, when his lamp shone on my head and by his light I walked through darkness!”

Job makes a final declaration of his integrity and his willingness to accept the consequences of his actions. His reflections lead him to reaffirm his commitment to his values and his understanding of justice.

Job 31:35 “Oh, that I had someone to hear me! I sign now my defense—let the Almighty answer me; let my accuser put his indictment in writing.”

4. God’s Response and Broadened Perspective

God’s response to Job comes in the form of a series of questions about the natural world and creation. This divine discourse challenges Job to expand his perspective beyond his immediate suffering and personal experience, encouraging him to reconsider his understanding of divine justice and his own place in the universe.

Job 38:4-5 “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it?”

5. Job’s Humble Acceptance and Reordered Priorities

After hearing from God, Job acknowledges his limited understanding and repents for his earlier questioning. This moment of humility and acceptance represents a significant shift in Job’s priorities, aligning his understanding more closely with God’s perspective.

Job 42:1-6 “Then Job replied to the Lord: ‘I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted. You asked, “Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?” Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. You said, “Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.” My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.’”

6. Restoration and New Understanding

Job’s fortunes are restored, and he receives double what he had before. This restoration comes after Job has processed his suffering, reflected on his priorities, and aligned himself with a deeper understanding of God’s sovereignty. The blessings that follow signify the positive outcome of reordering his priorities and gaining new insights.

Job 42:10-12 “After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before. All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the Lord had brought upon him, and each one gave him a piece of silver and a gold ring. The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part.”

Summary

The Book of Job illustrates the process of reflecting on and reordering one’s priorities through Job’s journey of suffering, reflection, and restoration. Job’s initial experience of prosperity and respect is followed by intense suffering, which leads him to deeply re-evaluate his understanding of his relationship with God and his values. Through divine discourse and personal humility, Job’s priorities are realigned, leading to a restored and blessed life. This narrative demonstrates that profound suffering can lead to a significant reordering of priorities and a deeper understanding of one's relationship with God and the world.