PERMANENT LIKE INK
Job 2:2-5 And the devil answered to the Lord, skin for skin, whatsoever belongs to a person concerning his life, he will exert power (make happen). Rather, your hand wasn’t sent into action but to meddle of his bones and flesh, except until he will bless your countenance (face).
How many times do believers say, after they receive a favorable response from a prayer request, “God is so good,” or “prayer works"? But the story of Job couldn’t be further from the common misconceptions about God’s interaction with His people.
I’ve also heard it said, “God always answers prayer; sometimes it’s “yes,” sometimes it’s “no,” and sometimes it’s “wait.”
But these idealistic views about prayer are all supplicative related, as if God were a Jeannie in bottle, granting three wishes. The very notion of prayer has morphed into something that resembles a Santa Claus list rather than the spirit-to-spirit connection it is meant to be.
Jesus said in John 15:7, “I’ll give you what you ask for so long as you dwell in me and my words dwell in you.” Well, now, that would be considered ‘small print’ in the land of contract writing, agreements with contingency factors, the most glaringly apparent in the use of the word ‘dwell.’
The Greek New Testament is full of delicious morsels of interpretive implications, and the word, ‘dwell’, is one of those. Just from a grammatical position, this word, meno (μένω), is dynamic with various translation choices such as: to stay, to continue; to dwell, lodge sojourn, to remain, to rest, settle, to last, endure, to continue unchanged, to be permanent, to be constant, steadfast, to abide, to indwell.
Take the translation choice, ‘to be permanent’, and add it to John 15:7 in place of ‘dwell’: “I’ll give you what you ask for so long as you are permanent in me and my words are permanent in you.” That kind of changes the tenor of Jesus’ request and begs the question, am I permanent in Jesus and are His words a permanent fixture in my life before I offer my ‘prayer request?’ That’s the question.
Am I willing to give to God what He wants before I ask for what I want?
The devil inferred to God that so long as God’s hand protected Job’s skin and bones, Job would bless God’s face. So, God put Job to the test some more, as if the poor guy hadn’t been through enough. But God was fashioning Job for a new uniform, one that would be permanent, so that when Job was ready to ask for what he wanted, he was suited up to make his request.
God still works this way ~ through suffering; you just have to know it when you see it. Job was one of the original cross-carriers, a model for any disciple-wannabe. Job gave suffering the good reputation it deserves.
Discussion Questions:
How does the translation choice of 'permanent' versus 'dwell' in John 15:7 change your concept of suffering with regard to prayer?
How should a disciple respond to unanswered prayers or suffering that you don't understand?
Describe how 'suffering well' echoes the truth of Romans 5:3-4?
