Job & Lance Armstrong

Job Chapter 1

11 There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.2 There were born to him seven sons and three daughters.3 He possessed 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, and 500 female donkeys, and very many servants, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the east.4 His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day, and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them.5 And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and consecrate them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus Job did continually. 6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them.7 The LORD said to Satan, From where have you come? Satan answered the LORD and said, From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.8 And the LORD said to Satan, Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?9 Then Satan answered the LORD and said, Does Job fear God for no reason?10 Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.11 But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.12 And the LORD said to Satan, Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand. So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.
13 Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house,14 and there came a messenger to Job and said, The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them,15 and the Sabeans fell upon them and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.16 While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.17 While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, The Chaldeans formed three groups and made a raid on the camels and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.18 While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house,19 and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you. 20 Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped.21 And he said, Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.
22 In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong. 
So tonight's text is quite lengthy (sorry about that), but I just can't skip anything in this story without detracting from it.  Do you remember the old 80's movies "O God" with George Burns?  I don't recall which one of them it was, but there is a seen where God and Satan are playing a hand of cards and the prize is a human soul (the irony in the movie is that God already knows the outcome and that Satan will cheat).  Job chapter 1 reminds me so much of this movie.  Here we have Satan talking to God and God speaking highly of Job and Satan telling God that if he wasn't so good to Job, Job would curse him to his face.  Firstly, how awesome would it be to have God speak that way about you!  When Satan is aloud to bring affliction against Job's family & his possessions the calamity begins.
Please notice the use of "While he was yet speaking...".  Job lost his sons and daughters, his oxen, donkeys, sheep, camels, many servants all in ONE day, and who knows it may have been in 1 hour.  Im going to make a weird comparison here that got me thinking about this the other day.  I watched the Lance Armstrong Oprah interview and listened to a man who appeared to have been humbled by his circumstances.  He mentioned in the interview that the day that he said he would no longer deny the charges, the phone began to ring and call after call was a sponsor leaving him.  He said that he lost $75 million dollars that day.  I have no concept of $75 million dollars, but my heart went out for Lance Armstrong (a self proclaimed cheat), not because of his loss, but because of this paramount opportunity for life change for him.  It's moments like this in life that cause a rousing in our innermost being, that tell us what we are really made of.  It tells us if we believe what we say is true or if our belief system is a horribly flawed.  When in that low place, people who say they don't believe in God pray anyway and people who don't know God seek him, and people who do know God draw close to Him.  I don't see God saying "Consider my servant Lance...he is blameless...", but my prayer is that Lance would seek after God and find Him.  I hope he doesn't miss this Job moment in his life to truly encounter God.
I don't have the wealth of Job or Lance Armstrong, nor the reputation of either.  I'm somewhere in the middle, wealthy by the world's standard (but not the USA standard).  I do have a family that I can not imagine the pain of losing.  I am far from blameless (though I wish I was, but He is not finished with me yet!).  What I can say is that I find great comfort that in times of incredible challenge, God is there and that he draws us to him.  That at the center of our being is a desire to love Him and to want to be Loved by Him.  I love Job's response, he tore his robe, shaved his head, and WORSHIPED!  In the midst of all that was going on, in spite of the tremendous amount of tragedy, Job's core was to worship the Creator.  That is how it should be.  I can not compare a single trial in my life to that of Job's.  Sure I've been down and out, had pain, experienced loss, but nothing as shattering as Job.  That being said, in those times that for me seemed like Job level moments when I was going through them.  Drawing close to God and worshiping Him for who He is regardless of my circumstance, that is a worship not to be missed out on.  That's when you feel deep inside yourself that no matter what, He loves you and this temporary affliction is but a blink in the scope of eternity and for those of us who KNOW Him, that kind of intimate worship will be experienced for all of eternity.  It's when you can literally feel Him carrying you, hugging you, and strangely, at least for me,  you feel most loved by God.  I'm praying for Lance Armstrong in his Job type moment, and I'm praying for you unknown reader in your Job type moment, that God would use this moment for something tremendous and that Lance's life/Your life will never be the same because you have come to KNOW God and will draw close to Him always and forever.  Amen!