Remember God?

The saying goes something like, “There are no atheists in a foxhole.” Many of us have heard statements like this before. They show us a fact of life; they show us that when it comes down to life or death, we believe that God sees what’s happening to us. They show us that when we get desperate enough, we turn to God even if it goes against all our “rational” thoughts.

While it is easy to forget about God until the time when we are in dire straits, we see a better way to live life modeled for us by Job. Often we talk about Job when the question of human suffering comes up, or when we are suffering ourselves, but Job’s story isn’t just about suffering. It’s about a man who trusted God with everything, whether it was a time of peace or war, prosperity or poverty.

In the first chapter of Job, he is presented as the greatest of all men in the east. He had the most possessions, he had the largest family and he had everything anybody could ever want. Even during this prosperous and peaceful time in Job’s life, however, we see him remembering God. Job 1:5 details the fact that Job would make burnt offerings to the Lord for all his sons in case they had sinned, and we are told he did so, “continually”.

Let’s pause here for a moment and realize what we have been told. During years and years of peace and prosperity, Job never stopped sacrificing to God for the welfare of his family. During years and years of peace and prosperity, Job never let his wealth take the place of God in his heart. Job never forgot about God. Job always treated God with respect and love and honor, and dedicated the whole of his life to Him.

The rest of Job is a wonderful testament to how we should and shouldn’t react in times of tragedy, but these first five verses are crucial for us to grasp. They are a reminder to us all that when we are on top of the world, we need to remember God. We need to praise God. We need to repent before God. We need to pray to God.

Some, to be sure, are experiencing difficult times right now. During these difficult times, remember God, and pray to Him for help and comfort. The encouragement to all of us is this: when that difficult time is passed and you are back to a normal state of life, remember God. Remember God when everything is great, and all the things in your life are progressing wonderfully. Thank God for your blessings, repent for your sins, and give aid to those who are struggling. No matter what’s going on for you now, always remember God.

¹⁰ “Then it shall come about when the Lord your God brings you into the land which He swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you, great and splendid cities which you did not build, ¹¹ and houses full of all good things which you did not fill, and hewn cisterns which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant, and you eat and are satisfied, ¹² then watch yourself, that you do not forget the Lord who brought you from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

-Deuteronomy 6:10–12 (NASB95)