[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":83},["ShallowReactive",2],{"\u002Farticles\u002Fbehind-the-scenes":3,"\u002Farticles\u002Fbehind-the-scenes-surround":72},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"bibleBooks":8,"body":10,"columnName":54,"date":55,"description":16,"extension":56,"image":57,"meta":58,"minRead":59,"navigation":60,"path":61,"postType":62,"publication":63,"publicationUrl":57,"seo":64,"stem":65,"topics":66,"__hash__":71},"blog\u002Farticles\u002Fbehind-the-scenes.md","Behind the Scenes",{"name":7},"Dave Faust",[9],"Job",{"type":11,"value":12,"toc":50},"minimark",[13,17,20,23,26,29,32,35,38,41,44,47],[14,15,16],"p",{},"During a teaching trip to Austria, I visited the Vienna Opera House where Mozart, Beethoven, and other great musicians performed their masterpieces in centuries past. The tour guide explained that the theater is sold out for every performance, and its acoustics are so good that no electronic sound system is necessary.",[14,18,19],{},"Backstage, enormous pulleys and ropes lifted the largest curtains I've ever seen. As our group of visitors watched, dozens of workers clad in blue jeans milled around, moving large pieces of the set into place for an upcoming performance. Most opera-goers never see these people, but without their work the show cannot go on. \"The backstage,\" explained the tour guide, \"is actually larger than the rest of the theater.\"",[14,21,22],{},"The Spiritual Backstage",[14,24,25],{},"There's a spiritual backstage, too—an invisible realm that sets the stage for everything else. From an earthly perspective, we're tempted to consider the spiritual realm unreal or less relevant than what we see, hear, taste, and touch, but it's there and it's influential in human affairs.",[14,27,28],{},"In the book of Job we experience a brief tour of the spiritual backstage—the realm where angels \"present themselves before the Lord\" and Satan goes \"roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it\" (1:6, 7).",[14,30,31],{},"On the main stage, Job appeared to have it all together. He \"was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil\" (v. 1). He was blessed with a large family and thousands of sheep, camels, oxen, donkeys, and servants, making him \"the greatest man among all the people of the East\" (vv. 2, 3). He prayed faithfully on behalf of his sons and daughters (vv. 4, 5).",[14,33,34],{},"But backstage, Satan plotted to bring down this godly man, and as a result, Job's happy life came crashing down under wave after wave of misfortune. His property was stolen and burned, his children died when a windstorm destroyed their house (vv. 6-19), Satan \"afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head,\" and things looked so desperate Job's wife concluded he might as well \"Curse God and die!\" (2:7-9).",[14,36,37],{},"Front and Center",[14,39,40],{},"Many church buildings have a cluttered attic filled with an odd assortment of items. Dusty candelabra. Christmas decorations that haven't been used since 1957 but no one has the heart to throw them away. Old music stands and coffee mugs. Faded sheet music from Easter pageants and a few well-worn baptismal robes.",[14,42,43],{},"Important things happen, though, in those cluttered quarters. In some churches, a group of elders put their hands on the minister's shoulder and pray for him before he preaches. Other times, friends and family crowd backstage to watch a loved one emerge from the baptistery dripping with water and filled with joy.",[14,45,46],{},"In some ways backstage is where the action is. The football team that wins on Saturday practiced well during the week. The sermon that touches hearts on Sunday required hours of preparation in the preacher's study. The rousing musical performance stirs the crowd after the musician devoted years to practicing alone. The woman admired for her perseverance through public hardships has spent countless hours in private prayer.",[14,48,49],{},"Suffering stood front and center during a painful season of Job's life, but behind the curtain where no one could see, the Lord was preparing to bring good out of the drama.",{"title":51,"searchDepth":52,"depth":52,"links":53},"",2,[],"Revealed and Relevant","2012-10-28","md",null,{},3,true,"\u002Farticles\u002Fbehind-the-scenes","column","The Lookout",{"title":5,"description":16},"articles\u002Fbehind-the-scenes",[67,68,69,70],"Spiritual Formation","Biblical Theology","Perseverance in Suffering","Christian Unity","OrYxK-mGmA3-_bLK3M-WrwJuNdu_RrklUPc1CQ5Zs3A",[73,78],{"title":74,"path":75,"stem":76,"description":77,"children":-1},"Before It’s Too Late","\u002Farticles\u002Fbefore-it-s-too-late","articles\u002Fbefore-it-s-too-late","Today your heart is beating steadily, but one day it will beat no more. Today your lungs invigorate your body with oxygen, but someday you will take your last breath.",{"title":79,"path":80,"stem":81,"description":82,"children":-1},"Behind the Snail Bus","\u002Farticles\u002Fbehind-the-snail-bus","articles\u002Fbehind-the-snail-bus","My daily drive to work tests my patience, and I don't always receive a passing grade. Too many traffic lights and stop signs. Too many slow and selfish drivers.",1790466138895]