10 And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. 11 Then came to him all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and ate bread with him in his house. And they showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him. And each of them gave him a piece of money and a ring of gold.
12 And the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning. And he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. 13 He had also seven sons and three daughters. 14 And he called the name of the first daughter Jemimah, and the name of the second Keziah, and the name of the third Keren-happuch. 15 And in all the land there were no women so beautiful as Job's daughters. And their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers. 16 And after this Job lived 140 years, and saw his sons, and his sons' sons, four generations. 17 And Job died, an old man, and full of days. (Job 42)
Job chapters 1 & 2 look like the headlines of the local newspaper or news site: all sorts of bad news piled on bad news. It is then followed by all sorts of editorials and advice columns, some "Job" listings and the disassembling of one's life like a garage sale. But the back page has some good news - great news! God blessed Job abundantly, allowing him to live a long and fulfilled life. But notice how it begins. God restored WHEN Job had prayed for his friends. In all of his loss and misery, Job found the key to joyful living: care about others more than myself. Job did not do it out of obligation - to manipulate God to give him back what he had lost. God had given no such promise. Job did it because he understand and trusted the character and sovereignty of God. When he did, when he stopped wallowing in self-pity, those who had avoided him like the plague started coming around and showing support. Job had moved himself into a position where God could and would bless him. Are you stuck in self-proclaimed misery? Turn your heart and your prayers to others. You will get God's attention, and theirs. Get ready for some good news.
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