Come Forth As Gold

Come Forth As Gold

Thou man of Uz, thou just and good,
Thou blameless in GOD'S sight,
How blessed have been thy years of GOD,
In thee HE doth delight.

In thee the LORD hath made HIS boast
Before HIS angel dark.
The evil one doth then refute
The LORD'S high praise remark.

"Not without cause THY servant Job
Doth fast adhere to THEE--
THY hedge, the shelter of THY wing,
THY blessings full and free--

Cause him to bow before THY FACE
And bend unto THY WILL.
Draw back THY hand, let me assail,
See if he love THEE still!"

So GOD withdrew HIS hedge from round
Both Job and all his kin,
Allowed the waster to destroy
Where boundless wealth had been!

His children's death, his wife's despair,
The cup of blessing dry--
In anguish cried she out to Job,
"Why not curse GOD and die!"

Why not the final blow upon
This anguished living death?
Why not take all this poor man has,
Including life and breath?

Ah, Job, my heart goes out to thee--
I read thy tale and weep.
The wretched sores that scourge thy flesh,
Though only surface deep,

Probe far into thy heart and mind!
They rot not just thy flesh,
But gnaw away thy trust in GOD
And put thy faith to test!

Thy friends with counsel void of love
Come at thee with their rod--
Correction laid upon thy sores,
Purportedly from GOD!

They neither see nor understand
That GOD is by thy side,
That through thy very darkest hour,
HE yet with thee abide.

Their minds have failed to apprehend
How GOD man's faith doth try--
Like gold placed in refiner's fire
That it may purify!

Like thee, O, Job, so we today,
Afflicted, tempest-tossed,
At times feel stricken by GOD'S hand,
Cast off from HIM and lost!

But, we, too, need to stand the test,
To trust and never bend;
To know our LORD is by our side,
Our constant HELP and FRIEND.

To know that like Job long before,
In his trial's fiery blast,
We, too, shall come forth as pure gold
When this brief test is past.

And when from flesh our life depart,
Our earthly sojourn o'er,
Like Job in victory we'll stand,
More blessed than e'er before!