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"And the Lord turned the captivity of Job when he prayed for his friends: also, the Lord gave Job twice as much as he much as he had before" --- Job 42:10 After Job's extended period of suffering and supposed psychoanalyst from his friends Job's, God's restores to Job more than all he lost. V. 12 says that "his latter end was greater than his beginning." We learn these truths after God's restoration of Job: There was no name it and claim it for Job's Faith-Job hit rock bottom before he could bubble back up. There were no quick fixes to his suffering. Sometimes God allows us to go through much to appreciate all he can return to us. To jerk out of the lessons God is instructing us before we overcome the trials we face is like ripping open a cacoon before it blossoms as a butterfly. This doesn't suit us well in our hurry-up world, but God is eternal, and His ways are better seen in the long view, not the immediate moment. God did not punish Job for questioning his ways-Job rambled much and his friends rambled even more. Yet, God did strike Him down when He speaks to Job with his questions. In all of Job's questions, he did not curse God. Instead, he tries to make sense of the limited understanding of why so many bad things were happening to him in rapid succession. When God does respond to Job in all his majesty, it trivializes most of Job's questions. God's Restoration is beyond our comprehension-Job had greater blessings after his suffering than he had before. Job had a lot, and it would not seem possible to top that but God did. I don't understand the loss of his children and the restoration of new ones, except that his first batch was exceedingly wicked and his last ones were righteous. We cannot dictate how God chooses to bless us after trials. We know Jesus' promise is true: God will add more as we keep seeking His kingdom first and foremost living according to His will and not getting bogged down by personal needs as it says Matt. 6:33. Accept what God chooses to do in our lives and be grateful. We don't deserve them, but He blesses us in His way, time, and wisdom. Just be thankful that the last end (as with Job) is better than the first in whatever He has planned for our lives. --- Dan Nelson