I bought a new Bible the other day. It is called “The Daily Walk”. In it, it has devotions on the side lines of the chapters called “My Daily Walk”. I am reading the book of Job right now, and let me tell you, it is kicking my butt bigtime. This is what it said in the sideline this morning:
“Nowhere in the book of Job does God answer any of the burning questions that caused so much debate between Job and his friends. He simply reveals who he is. Job’s knowledge of God before his trails was primarily secondhand: “My ears had heard of you”. (42:5) But now, after passing through the fire of adversity, he knew that he could trust God personally.
God doesn’t put just any of his children through a Job-like experience. It was because of Job’s God-fearing lifestyle that God permitted him to be tested by Satan in order to strengthen his devotion. Are you facing a severe test of your faith today? View it not as a sign that God has left you but as a token of his desire to deepen your commitment. Complete this sentence:
‘Though I do not understand why, God is asking me to show my trust by __________________.’
Pray for a faith that will not shrink when washed in the waters of affliction.”
I could view my hardships and downfalls as a punishment or abandonment, honestly it is a daily battle understanding why my family has been put through so much. And I am no where comparing my self with the life of Job, although I find alot of comfort in reading how he handled his afflictions, and I can only hope that I am handling them with half the character and integrity as he did. I could view my hardships through fleshly eyes, and take on a “woe is me attitude”, (and sometimes I do, just like Job did!) but that has gotten me nowhere other than depressed and feeling worse. Trust me, I have been there.
It is so much easier to lean on Christ, even though it is so much harder to fully trust Him with my afflictions.
But these things I know for sure - not wish or think- but KNOW:
As long as I have life within me, the breath of God in my nostrils, my lips will not speak wickedness, and my tongue will utter no deceit. I will never admit you are in the right; till I die, I will not deny my integrity. I will maintain my righteousness and never let go of it; my conscience will not reproach me as long as I live.
-Job 27:2b-6
“Though I do not understand why, God is asking me to show my trust by: proclaiming His name as loud as I possibly can through my trials..unashamed…until the day I die.”
How would you complete that sentence in your own life?
(If you want to share in the comments, please feel free… if not, write it down on a piece of paper, or in your bible…)
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