03302019 Job

Dear Missionary Lady,

Warm greetings to you, my beloved sisters. While my prayers for you are not as frequent as I would like, I do pray for you and your ministries, and especially when I am aware of special needs. I receive email or Facebook updates from several of you, but I would love to get others if you have such a resource available. If you are in the habit of sending out email updates, would you kindly add me to your lists? Or if you have a Facebook group or updating system, I would be happy to hear from you there also.

Life is not always easy. It has different kinds of trials. Some are simple and short. Others are intense and lengthy. Some seem insupportable and never-ending.

Trials are not a surprise to us, at least not in the fact that they happen. They are part of life. As we grow in faith and maturity, we become better able to handle the ordinary bumps of life. There are times, however, when we are faced with a trial of faith that is especially challenging.

The difficulty is not the circumstance itself - the health issue or financial situation or relationship struggle. The most difficult thing is that God doesn't fix it in the manner or timing we think He should. We know what Scripture says, and it doesn't seem to match up with what is happening in our lives. It seems like God isn't doing what He says. For example, He is supposed to take care of us. He is supposed to care about us. He is supposed to bear our burdens. He is supposed to meet our needs. He is supposed to give blessings to those who try to follow Him. He is supposed to answer prayer. When we give freely to Him, He is supposed to respond by providing for us. When we give ourselves to Him, try to trust Him, try to follow Him, try to seek His Word for truth, and all those related earnest spiritual desires, He is supposed to reward and bless us.

But that isn't always what we see. If anyone understands the frustration, confusion, and disillusionment of deferred answers from God, it would be Job. The conversations of Job and his friends clearly showed that they saw a disparity between their belief system and Job's reality, and they didn't understand it. Job went through a lot of deep water before he saw the answers. He had to wait a long time until things finally came together.

Before Job saw the answers, while he was still in the midst of his struggle, he made some powerful statements. Consider the significance of these statements in the midst of what Job was enduring.

"Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD" (1:21).

"What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?" (2:10).

"Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him" (13:15).

"For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:" (19:25-26).

"I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee" (42:2).

"But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold" (23:10).

"Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not. ... I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes" (42:3, 5-6).

"Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth" (40:4).

Job’s Responses

Oh God, although it hurts, I know You’re just;
For each thing taken, You were first the source.
Your work’s not wrong, and worship You I must.
I take the good and bad, each in its course.

Oh God, undying trust is due Your hand.
My hope is firm, though You bring me to death.
I know one day I’ll see You take Your stand,
Though worms destroy my skin and I’ve no breath.

Oh God, You are a source of wondrous might;
There’s not a man can thwart Your purpose bold.
You know my way; You can do all things right.
Your cleansing work can make me shine as gold.

Oh God, You are too big for me to know.
I spoke of things so wonderful and vast,
But now I realize that they’re really so.
I’m humbled to observe my God at last.

Oh God, I realize now that You are God.
I would not dare to change what You decide,
For what am I but just an earthly clod?
I will be mute, and lay all words aside.

Our experience doesn't have to look like our expectations in order for God to be right. When we don't understand the disparity between reality and what we think God should be doing, that doesn't mean God is wrong. It means our understanding and vision are limited. God sees and knows more, and He is always right.

Recently, it seems that an unusual number of my friends are going through times of great difficulty. That realization, coupled with my own needs, led me to do a Bible study on God the Rock. I found it to be powerful truth, especially suited for those in times of trouble. If you are interested in this Bible study, you can find it at https://pressingontohigherground.blogspot.com/2019/03/god-rock.html. The introduction, 28 sections, and conclusion would make a good devotional for a month.

Love in Christ,
Peggy Holt
member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA
www.pressingontohigherground.blogspot.com