Job 42:12-17
12 The LORD blessed the latter part of Job's life more than the first. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys.
13 And he also had seven sons and three daughters.
14 The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah and the third Keren-Happuch.

According to the ancient Egyptian mythology, Phoenix , an imaginary bird would live up to 1000 years. Towards the end of its life time, it sets up its cage on fire with the bird itself and a new bird arises out of the ashes and embers to live another 1000 years. Though Phoenix is a myth, Job is real. He went into ruts and ashes, with embers of pain not dying in his soul.

God bless Job with a double potion of what he was having before, sheep, camel, ox and donkeys - his possessions along with blessed sons and daughters. Everything he lost was found him, but this time with more convictions and more faith. V 5-6 say that; ‘My ears had heard of you but my now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.’ He would choose dust and ashes for himself gladly, if given an another chance to go through the same cycle of pain, to see the God he had always heard, better. And that is the difference now. Formerly, God was someone he heard of, now He has seen God with his own eyes. God has become personal to him.

The pain and problems we go through in life is either allowed by God or caused by him - with a purpose. A purpose to see him, and taste him and experience him. When we don’t see God and his purpose in our afflictions, we are failed utterly. Then God had to go through the pain of discipline us over again. Discipline has only one purpose, to mould our life better. This is a continuous process you and I go through everyday. And there is a clear purpose, which is set by the wisdom and knowledge of God. But when we miss it, life turns out to be meaningless.

When we go through those cycles of pain, let us make sure we are well connected to God with scriptures and godly friends and understand the purposes set by him. Life would turn better.

Prayer idea

What are areas in your life where you see God discipline you.