I heard Chuck Swindoll say in a radio broadcast that when people say the Bible is boring, it may be because they have taken the emotion out of it.

If we can read Scripture with no sense of awe, conviction, grief, joy, or hunger for God, then we should pause and examine our hearts. God’s Word is not meant to be handled like lifeless information. It is living and active, and when we come to it honestly, the Spirit uses it to search us, shape us, correct us, and draw us nearer to Christ.

We must read Scripture with one purpose: to receive God’s Word and surrender ourselves to it. The Word is not given so we can win arguments, justify preferences, or build walls of pride. It is given to lead us into holiness, deepen our love for Christ, and shape us into one people under the lordship of Jesus.

Today I want to talk about the book of Job because Job teaches us how to trust God when life is painful, unclear, and stripped down to the bone. But I also want us to hear Job alongside the story of the ten lepers, because together they ask one question of the church: when God meets us in suffering or in blessing, will our hearts turn back to Him in faith, surrender, and thanksgiving?

Here is the truth I want us to carry with us today: God’s people are called to meet suffering and blessing with the same posture of faith. In suffering, we trust His sovereignty. In blessing, we return with thanksgiving. Whether we are sitting in ashes like Job or running back healed like the Samaritan leper, our response should point our hearts back to God.