“Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended bythe Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.” James 5:11

The End Intended By the Lord

Job’s life was crazy…he had abundant possessions, position, family and health—and then seemingly on a whim it was all taken from him, and later given back in double portion. It wasn’t a whim, however—God allowed Satan to test Job to see if he would turn away from Him. When we go through painful or downright awful things in life, we can look at Job’s life and see the end is always what the Lord intends, not what the enemy of our soul intends.

We see the power and majesty of God displayed in Chapters 38-41 when He asks Job questions about creation and glory, to which Job cannot reply. The same God who did those things then does them today. He is still as powerful and majestic as He has always been—which brings me comfort. He is more than big enough to make decisions about my life, and as Chuck Smith’s commentary says: “Lord, I don’t understand what You’re doing. I don’t like what You’re doing, but I know that what You’re doing is best, so just keep doing it. Not my will, Your will, Lord, be done.”

There have been many times in my life when I have said, “I don’t get it, Lord; I want things to be different, but I know You are working all things for my good and Your glory. Thy will be done.”

“Father God, thank You for Your living, breathing Word reminding us, through the lives of saints who have gone before us, that You are in control and the end will indeed be as You intended it. Amen.”

These additional translations of today’s verse give a slightly different flavor:

“As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy” (James 5:11 NIV).

“We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy” (James 5:11 NLT).

“Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful” (James 5:11 ESV).

“See, we count as blessed those who have endured. You have heard of Job’s endurance and have seen the outcome that the Lord brought about ​— ​the Lord is compassionate and merciful” (James 5:11 CSB).