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Bible, Book of Job, calamity, Centerpointe Church, Faith, Faith Beyond Measure, Faith like Job, God, Hope, influence, inspiration, inspire, Job, life and death, Mark Smith, missions, rebar, role model, Satan, suffering, test of faith, trials and tribulation, unwaivering faith
I know a man whose faith was far beyond measure; whose hope was as persistent, as strong and as powerful as was portrayed in the life story of a man named Job.
The man I knew went by the name of Mark Smith. Today I realized he was just like Job.
Job was a man who appeared to have it all–riches, cattle, great house, fine family; good health; plenty of friends. Then, he lost it. He lost it all.
The Lord gives and the Lord takes away . . .
According the the Bible, Job was a good man who did nothing wrong. Job was not being punished for some overt or hidden sin. He did not warrant the calamity that befell him. No, it was quite the opposite. Job was a man of great faith and impeccable character. Job was a pillar of the community and a superb role model. In fact, Job was so upstanding and righteous that he drew attention from the evil one (the devil) who begged God’s permission to test him.
We must realize that life is a battle between good and evil (between God and Satan) and the war is for our souls. God is banking on our goodness while Satan believes he can try us and turn us away from God and away from good.
Calamity came upon Job very suddenly. First, he lost his money and his earnings. Then he lost his cattle and his farm. His own family turned their backs and his friends challenged his faith and then left him stranded.
Surely Job was confused, emotional and even brokenhearted. Surely Job had moments when he felt abandoned, helpless and hurt. We know there were times when Job cried out in desperation. Job even questioned God’s reasoning but never once did he grow bitter or stop trusting in God’s ways. Job never sold out on his faith.
Job went through more loss and suffering than most of us can imagine. And yet, Job stayed strong. Through it all, Job held onto hope. Even when his health failed, Job looked unto the sky for assurance that God would not leave him or forsake him.
Job eventually went from being one of the richest and most highly respected men in his community to a poor and lonely street urchin wearily reaching out for help while scratching his boils with chunks of shells. He went from life to near death.
And yet he accepted the journey . . .
As painful as it must have been, Job leaned not on his own understanding and trusted in God’s bigger and greater plan. He stayed steadfast in his faith in spite of horrendous suffering. Eventually others noticed and his loss became his witness to the world.
Even in his darkest hour Job was like a beacon of hope because he never let his own hope disappear.
I never met anyone whose life story was quite tragic enough to compare to Job’s. I never met anyone whose testimony was so strong and so evident just in how they lived that not a single word had to be spoken. I never met anyone whose suffering seldom showed and whose humility and graciousness was so sincere or so obvious.
I never met anyone quite like Mark Smith.
The scariest time in my life came in 2009 when I was buckling and faltering under an intense spiritual and emotional attack during a mission trip when I was supposed to be a leader. Mark became my go to prayer warrior albeit from several hundred miles away. His calm advise and superb insight kept me focused.
The thing he said that stuck in my mind and remains a powerful thought to this day was this:
“We are the rebar Cindi. We, the body of Christ, are what holds it all together . . . we hold it together for ourselves, for each other and for those God puts in our path,” he said. “Rebar doesn’t break. It bends with the wind but it bounces back and proves its strength.”
I never knew much about rebar until I met Mark Smith. I now understand it was his hope and his faith that held him together and strengthened us all.