A hidden treasure… If you have never read or heard of this book—the girls I have shared it with describe it as a “must read”, “the best mom book I have read in awhile” and “this is my NEW gift to every new mom…I think it should be required reading for mommies!”. It is out of print, so it’s hard to find—but if you hit Amazon or ebay at the right time you might get lucky and find one for under $30. If you see one, snag it…and yes–the $150 ones you see are for real. This book is now considered a collector’s item because of it’s demand and being out of print.
Today’s Reading: Job 15:1 – 18:21
Chapter 15 – Did Eliphaz seriously just call Job a windbag? Man, we have the serious name calling going on now. Poor Job. As if he needs any more drama in his house…now we have his three friends throwing him under the bus for no reason other than assuming Job’s life has turned bad because he must be sinful. What a good reminder to not be judgemental of other’s circumstances—whatever they are…whether they are successful in business or years without work. Help us Lord to look at other’s hearts and help us to see others AS YOU SEE THEM.
Chapter 16 – Job’s response to Eliphaz – Can’t you just hear Job’s confidence, honesty and even hurt in this chapter? “What stinky comforters you are. Guys, if we were to switch places…I could just as easily say everything you are saying—but I would encourage you instead.” Sounds to me like Job is doing a little too much reflecting on others and their resonse to him. He is hurt and is starting to repeat his feelings all over again. It’s so easy though to get defensive when someone questions us—we want them to know the REAL us, to know our hearts and understand really where we are coming from.
Chapter 17 – Job is starting to really get his friends get to him, “Lord, I’m surrounded by mockers…oh Lord–please defend me and show them really who I am” he seems to be saying here. Do I care more about how I look to others than the Lord’s will being done? Am I willing to give up all things here for the sake of doing His will? Job says his hope is no longer in this world, but in death. He just wants his misery to be OVER. I can’t identify with Job as I’ve never lost all my family…been stricken with a disease…but I can understand why he is just tired and d-o-n-e. He’s tired. Frustrated. Just done. Every have those days, weeks or seasons? You just feel defeated. But I love what Shannon shared yesterday in the comments from a devotional she is currently reading—just in case you missed it…it’s must read, encouraging insight: ….”God gets His greatest victories out of apparent defeats.Very often the enemy seems to triumph for a little, and God lets it be so; but then He comes in and upsets all the work of the enemy, overthrows the apparent victory, and as the Bible says, ‘turns the way of the wicked upside down.’ Thus He gives a great deal larger victory than we would have known if He had not allowed the enemy, seemingly, to triumph in the first place.” We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. Romans 5:3-5 Let us keep our hope in Him!
And we end today on Chapter 18 Bildad’s response…which just isn’t worth commenting on because…well, it’s just plain…not nice. Oh I hope I can be a constant encouragement to those who need it. Lord speak to our heart and help us to hear your voice and feel your prompting of the Spirit.
Chapter 15: Eliphaz has mistaken Job’s words of grief for words of pride. That is something we all need to be very careful of, because minimizing someone’s expressed grief could prevent them from moving from despair into hope and move on. Eliphaz is convinced that his theory is true: if you are godly you prosper, if you are ungodly you suffer. It may even seem logical to us today. It’s even an easy theory to believe in, as long as things are going our way. But when suffering does come our way and we can’t find a logical explanation, that theory will no longer offer any comfort. It’s a pretty callous way to approach someone’s suffering, so let’s be careful with our accusations.
Chapter 16: We all have known some “miserable comforters” in our life. I hurt for Job, it’s like being slapped when you are already down.
Chapter 17: My commentary says, “How frightening death can be to those who are unaware of God’s glorious hope.” Job is obviously not certain about God’s promise of eternal life. Fortunately we never have to despair, because we know that promise!
Chapter 18: Bildad wanted to know why Job disregarded his “friends” comments, when to us the answer seems so obvious: they didn’t know what they were talking about. They were adding to his suffering with unnecessary guilt. We need to remember to support our friends with words of comfort and love. God is the ultimate judge, not us.
Heather -January 23, 2010 - 7:21 pm
I agree with your take on the reading today. Thank you for continuing to do this. It has helped keep me accountable & want to read so that I can share with all of you. It is amazing what God can do! Looking forward to seeing what ways He will bless us.
It’s FRIDAY! And we’re stuck in the midst of Job. Today’s reading is Job 12 – 14:22. I know, I know–you are feeling like you will never get through Job. And–when I looked up to see how many chapters there are in Job, and I saw 42–I realize we have a ways to go. HOW FITTING. Job really takes you through the emotions we often feel in life some times. We just don’t know if we can get through it. But HANG IN THERE…hope is waiting around the corner! Always, always.
AND…Let me give you a reason to shout a praise of thanksgiving today!!! In the midst of hardship—the Lord is working! In good days—the Lord is working! When things make sense OR don’t make sense—the Lord is working! It makes me want to SHOUT, “HOSANNA!” In Hebrew, Hosanna means “please save” or “save now”. That is my shout today! BE ENCOURAGED! You would NOT believe, even if I told you, how the Lord is working through this Bible reading. They aren’t my personal stories to tell, but daily–I received emails that knock my socks right off! Halleujah! Oh the stories! From “this is the first time I’ve read the Bible” to “I would read that you loved the Lord and I wanted that”…the LORD IS WORKING! Yes, even on the internet. HOSANNA! HALLEUJAH! I LOVE IT! Let us not give up on the reading of His Word. I told you that you were going to hear me say that a lot this year. But let us not give up! The Lord, indeed, is working! So…let us start our Friday…not the “end” of the week…but the “beginning” of our weekend where we may be used for the glory of God! Give us strength Lord…here’s a little song to help you get your praise on in your heart today…
Okay, because I know all kinds of folks at all different places are reading my blog–these people in this video may look crazy gettin’ their praise on—but lemme explain. They are just in love with Jesus. I encourage you to just turn up this song, close your eyes as you listen and let the words speak to your heart…and join them in the heart of worship.
Today’s Reading – Job Chapters 12, 13, 14 Chapter 12 – Job rebukes his friends judgements of him—in essence, he really stands up for himself in confidence and also shows that he finds his worth in God not in their opinions. He explains that you really can’t judge if people are living right or wrong based on if things are going well for them. In verses 6-11 he says even wicked people prosper. So true. Not fun to watch a wicked man prosper is it? But man looks at the outer appearance while God looks at the heart. God ends this chapter by speaking of the Lord’s wisdom and power. I love how Job continues to speak truths of the Lord…I’m seeing how DEEPLY He knew our Father’s heart and ways.
Chapter 13: Very similar to Chapter 12, Job continues to rebuke the opinions and statments of his friends. (Declares what he knows it not true.) Then he professes his confidence in the Lord and His ways (Declaring who God is). Finally, he asks the Lord to show him his sin (Searcing His heart). This chapter is a great model for when we hear something that hurts us.
Declare what you know is untrue
Declare who the Lord is—putting the Lord in His rightful place in your heart and submitting to the Lord
Ask the Lord to help you see if there is sin in your life—pray deeply for Him to show you…so you may confess it to Him (and maybe even friends) so you can walk away from it
Chapter 14 – And just when you thought Job was beginning to gain heart–this next chapter seems to take an interesting plunge…or maybe a bit of thoughtful uncertainty about life, death and even God’s ways.
Thanks for walking through this chapter with me. Job didn’t live an easy life–and this isn’t an easy read. We were not made for THIS world—and I should count all things loss here…because really the ONLY thing that matters here is being in the Lord’s will while I’m here. How will we know His will? KNOW HIS VOICE. How will we know His voice? BE IN HIS WORD. Let us not give up dear friends…I know hope is just around the corner—for Job, for you, for me, for those in need, for orphans, for Haitians…I know that we serve a good, loving, merciful, gracious God…and with Him–there is always hope.
AND SPEAKING OF HOPE…A BABY GIRL REFERRAL WENT OUT YESTERDAY WITH OUR AGENCY!!! YAY!I’m not 100% sure but I think that we may be unofficially #30 on the girls list and around #20 on boys list! So funny to have started out as #45 on the girls list and #28 on the boys. We have moved only 8 spots on the boy list but 15 on the girl list. WOW. Now I’m really starting to wonder if our next baby is a prince or princess! This is going to be an exciting year…thank you for sharing it with me!!!
You asked about the video I made. I have a mac and just used different transitions from iMovie. Aren’t the swirly ones fun?? That little video has been such an awesome tool. I believe every kid in our school district is going to see it within the next week or so:) So far we’ve raised $500 just collecting cans for about 7 weeks.
Chapter 12: It’s about time Job stands up to the judgment of his friends, don’t you think? If it were me, I probably would have done it a long time ago. Or being the wuss that I am, I probably would have cut off contact with them. When I am in a struggling place in my life, the last thing I want to hear is judgment and ridicule. What I admire about Job is that even in his frustration, he speaks words of wisdom and truth. When I am angry, often the words that come out of my mouth are harsh, jumbled, and don’t make a lot of sense. But Job speaks so eloquently even in his frustration and anger. We also learn in this chapter that Job is learning from his suffering. He has gained a new perspective on the way God works and the way the world works. I wish I could say that I always used difficult times in my life to lead me into a deeper understanding of our God, but the truth is I am a sinner. I think the biggest thing I take away from this chapter is that God is sovereign, almighty, all-powerful, and ultimately…IN CONTROL. We are not. As my commentary again put it, “Humility does not come easily to us, who place great value on power and independence. But the truth is that we are dependent upon God even for our very existence.” Um…wow. And once again, I will relate this to our adoption process right now…..I am growing so much in my relationship with God through adoption. Not only have I come to realize that the only reason I am part of God’s family is because HE ADOPTED ME, but that I have NO CONTROL over the way the process is moving, or the timeframe. It sometimes drives me crazy. There are nights I plead with God to speed things up or to just bring us to the next step. But I KNOW that once again His plan is perfect, like it has been every time in the past. (I know I keep reiterating this, but I need to repeat it for my sake too…I am still learning.)
Chapter 13: Ahhhh SNAP!! Job really gives it to them there, doesn’t he? “You are smearing me with lies. As doctors you are worthless quacks.” (vs. 4) “Are you defending God by means of lies and dishonest arguments?” (vs. 7) Job is clearly angry, and his “friends” are getting in the way of his conversations with God. Yeah, I would have some lashing out to do as well! Who are you that you think you can speak for God? And then Job decides to do something about his situation: present it to the Lord. Can’t you just see him growing closer to God through his suffering? And you want to know the best part? God welcomes our honest feelings!!! What an awesome God we serve!!!
Chapter 14: I think the part that makes Job’s suffering so much worse than our suffering today is the fact that we are living after the time of Jesus Christ! We know the power of His resurrection, and His promise of eternal life! Job was a wise man, but he couldn’t grasp that concept. I imagine that it’s much easier to tolerate the suffering in your life when you understand God’s promise for us. Again in my commentary: “…God wasn’t punishing Job or taking pleasure in his anguish. He was allowing Job to pass through a fiery trial. God knows the end result of our suffering and despair – a faith that is purer than gold.”
“So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even though it is necessary for you to endure many trials for a while. These trials are only to test your faith, to show that it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold – and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold. So if your faith remains strong after being tried by fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.” 1 Peter 1:6-7
Well if THAT doesn’t encourage you, I don’t know what will!!! Many people are ready to be done with this chapter. I admit, I was trying to rush through it in the beginning. But I am finding that the more I am reading, the more God is teaching. So I urge you all as you are reading God’s word, to read the meaning behind the words, not just the words themselves. Really reflect on them, because there is an amazing message behind all of Job’s pain.
Heather -January 22, 2010 - 7:34 pm
Thank you for sharing! I fell in love with this song last year when I went to Belarus. At a children’s Christian camp they were singing praise songs, & I knew most of them. I didn’t know this one. They were singing it in their language, but it spoke to my heart, & I just love that song! It’s very moving!
Hi Andrea! I just wanted to let you know what a perfect timed blessing reading through the Bible with you ladies is. I have been a part of a ladies Bible Study for a years, and they meet one a week in the morning. I have SOOO debated and stressed over this, but now, with homeschooling 2 and finding time to sew for the adoption, I just cannot commit an entire morning and not do school on that day. (By the afternoon, my kids are mentally toast!) The same week my hubby and I decided I needed to give up my weekly meeting with the ladies (which was pretty devestating), you announced this read through. It has been SOOO good to “meet” with you ladies everyday, read through scripture and pray. (I DO pray for any request you all are posting!) It’s kindof crazy, I have never met any of you, really do not have a clue where in the world you live, and may never know….! Isn’t it amazing how strong the bonds of Christ and scripture are?!? I refer to you all as my “blog ladies” to my hubby:) It is such a blessing, because I thought I was loosing my Bible study and lady friends, and now I am just gaining more! (Plus, if I have sick kids or what not I do not have to “stay home and miss”, I can still read what you all have to say!!) Your thoughts Andrea, and all of the comments left here are such an encouragment to me! Thank you all! OK, on to the reading….this may sound CRAZY to you all, but the book of Job has become a HUGE source of comfort to me over the past few years. I am not even sure how to explain what I mean. I read through the book, and I see….He is GOD. He is powerful and HE, not another (and not ourselves!) is in CONTROL. It makes me think of the last line to “This is my Father’s World”…”though all the wrong seems oh so strong, God is the ruler yet.” In the end, whether that be on this side of eternity or not, He will make all things RIGHT. Sin and it’s effects are so real…oh that makes me long for heaven! I long to see my 12 year old brother be able to walk and talk. I long for the day when my parents will not have to watch him suffer. One day, there will be no earthquakes, no orphans, no disease. HE is in control, and HE is good…. our time on earth is so short, our perspective small….we get but a speck of a look at the overall plan. I can’t wait until we get to the last few chapters of Job…I look forward to when God speaks!!!! Blessing to you all!
Thanks for the encouragement ladies. I have to admit I looked ahead too and felt overwhelmed by 42 chapters(I’ve never actually read Job in it’s entirity. Megan, thank you for the reminder that He welcomes our honest feelings. Oh how I try to fool Him sometimes! He knows my heart. my feelings. my hurt. my anger. Be real with Him! The devotional I’m reading right now fits so beautifully with our reading of Job. An excerpt from January 18….”God gets His greatest victories out of apparent defeats.Very often the enemy seems to triumph for a little, and God lets it be so; but then He comes in and upsets all the work of the enemy, overthrows the apparent victory, and as the Bible says, ‘turns the way of the wicked upside down.’ Thus He gives a great deal larger victory than we would have known if He had not allowed the enemy, seemingly, to triumph in the first place.” We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. Romans 5:3-5 Let us keep our hope in Him!
Shannon, thank you for sharing that part of your devotions, it so true! I know I often feel like I can hide my feelings from God too. And what’s the point? He knows them anyway…and it feels so much better to share them with Him.
Chapter 8: Boo to Bildad. It’s a good thing I’m not Job—or Bildad’s friend during my time of great loss. I think his comments in Chapter 8 may have earned him a karate chop or two. Don’t worry, I don’t karate chop my friends, but putting myself in Job’s shoes here–I have a JIE-NOR-MOUS (big;) amount of respect for him for letting Bildad finish his opinion. The minute he popped out, “Your children’s death was deserved because of their sin”…that would have just been the first karate chop. (Watch out people—Andrea is in rare form tonight…Job is just too much for me;).
Chapter 9 and 10: Job’s response is understandable and honest toward God, and I think this may be one chapter that is worth a few “re-reads”. I think the Holy Spirit is just amazing how He writes scripture and takes you through Job’s feelings—and as I read this chapter I felt like better understood a perspective that many unbelievers argue and keep them from trusting and following the Lord. “Why plead to God either way—God is going to do what He is going to do…God allows bad things to happen to bad people–and good people…right?” I don’t get it. Why believe? Why follow? How would you answer those questions? I think it’s really important, as believers, for us to really soak in some of Job’s questions and frustration here. He was a strugglin’ man who loved the Lord. He had experienced His goodness and grace. Job knew His heart. What was it that Job isn’t getting here? Job clearly understands God for who He is—but like so many of us, He is confused by why things happen the way they do some times.
Chapter 10: Zophar. I have no words for Zophar’s response. Other than…he deserves a karate chop too. And after all those karate chops…I am officially tired. And although it is good to identify with Job and try to understand his plight…I think we need a little pick-me-up…don’t you?!
Yes, I’m still with you… in case you’re wondering! I keep reading at night, so I don’t often get to be part of the conversation. But I’m still here. 🙂
Although my anger does tend to flare up a bit while reading the supposed “help” Job’s friends offer, lately I’ve been trying to put myself in their position. Who knows the mind of God? They see before them a man they all have looked up to, possibly envied their whole lives… and he is broken beyond imagination. They are desperate for answers, not only for him but for themselves, to somehow save themselves from whatever judgment or trial Job is enduring. They don’t understand… heck, Job doesn’t understand… so his friends are grasping at any and all explanations, ANYTHING that will explain it, give an answer… no matter how unthinkable (or completely WRONG, as we see with the benefit of hindsight, knowing that God is orchestrating this story ultimately for His glory) that answer may be. And Job… even though I know the huge rebuke that’s coming at the end of this book, I still admire his faith in many ways. He rails, he questions, he demands answers, perhaps a bit arrogantly at times… but somehow he does not recant his faith. He is still a model for his friends… whether they see it or not at this point.
I hope that made sense. It’s still early out west, and I wrote most of that with a two-year old sitting on my lap! 🙂
“JIE-NOR-MOUS (big)” –> hehee! =) That made me laugh! Chapter 8: “You’re getting what you deserve” is basically what Bildad is telling Job. Perhaps the most insensitive of all comments you can say to someone suffering. But Bildad doesn’t know the whole story. Only God knows the circumstances behind the suffering. Our main concern when someone is suffering is to offer them comfort and support. Oh Lord, please guide the thoughts in my head and the words of my mouth to be ones of love and comfort, not accusation!
Chapter 9: I just have to quote the commentary on my Bible, because it speaks volumes. “When we feel that God isn’t being fair, we should remember that if he were, we would neer be able to enter his presence. When God is “unfair,” it is always on the side of mercy.”
“Job lamented the absence of a mediator to stand between himself and God. We do have such a mediator – Jesus Christ. We can take our case directly to God because Jesus’ death and resurrection gave us access to God’s presence.”
Wow…doesn’t that make you grateful once again for Christ making the ultimate sacrifice on our behalf?
Chapter 10: Job felt hopeless and couldn’t imagine any sort of a future or happy ending. He was enveloped in darkness. We know better though, because we have Jesus’ promise: “Don’t be troubled. You trust God, now trust me. There are many rooms in my Father’s home, and I am going to prepare a place for you. If this were not so, I would tell you plainly. When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. And you know where I am going and how to get there.” John 14:1-4
Chapter 11: Zophar was mistaking Job’s quest for reason for opposition against God. God allows us to meditate on our suffering. Although sometimes we are not meant to know the reason, the important thing is that we learn from our trials and trust God rather than complain. My Bible commentary (so good) ends this chapter by saying, “Zophar was mistaken because his theology could not allow the possibility that Job could suffer and still be righteous.”
Again…these are difficult chapters to read. Stick to it because the reward is great! Look how much we are learning already!
Love the photog tips…I’m still dealing with my simple point and shoot (although hubby promised a good one before Africa)…do you have any tips for me? I have a major hobby with photography, but I don’t even know where to begin with my little Nikon.
Thanks for walking us through this again…difficult chapters, I know.
So…did you sing along yesterday to the worship songs that were left at the bottom of my blog? If not, you’ll definitely have to back and read yesterday’s entry and rock it on in your blog reading time. The last song from yesterday was sung by Candi Pearson-Shelton. She was at the retreat I was at with Cup of Joy this weekend, and she is by far my favorite worship leader to hear sing—1. Her pipes rock the house 2. If you have ever seen this girl sing or know her heart–she gives the glory to God in her gift of singing. Truly, I feel the glory of God when she leads worship—AND she sings REALLY loud so it makes even me sound good following her…and that says a lot.
Candi recently wrote a book “Desperate Hope: When My Faith in God Overcame My Dispair” after the death of her brother. She has an AMAZING story about how the book came to be that you can read about here. She told me that day 8 is the WOW READ—so don’t cheat…and read her events leading up. And you can buy her book now on Amazon on pre-sale-but it’ll be released in just a couple of weeks!
I thought this book was an appropriate share during our study of Job as it’s about how God whispers to Candi and her family along their journey of Rick’s diagnosis and death…and how her mourning was transformed to praise as He revealed His glory through pain. This is Candi’s first book–and David Cook published it…which is the same company that read Frances Chan’s work and went for it. SO…I think it’s gonna be a good read! You can also purchase her new worship cd “Sycamore: Yet I Will Rejoice”here that I picked up this weekend at the retreat…GOOD STUFF!
Job 5 – 7:21
Today’s reading was a bit easier to read than yesterday when tragedy actually struck–but still…it isn’t an easy read. Job’s friends come to comfort him, but in most of chapter 5 Eliphaz really seems to be accusing Job of sin. I mean, after all—bad things don’t happen to good people…right?! Not so much. But too often, this is how the world thinks and it’s often our first reaction especially to ourselves. And this is exactly what satan would want us to think or assume. But, we have to remember WHY this was happening to Job—hmmm…and WHY would YOU say this is happening to Job? I believe it’s the answer to every WHY when things go wrong. This would NOT be the time to resight Romans 8:28…although it is true;). I’m just saying. Although Romans 8:28 is true and part of it—I think Romans 11:33-36 is most fitting for WHY this is happening. JOT THIS DOWN. MEMORIZE IT. REMEMBER IT. So that when hard things come (when NOT if), you will have this written on your hearts:
Oh the depths of the riches and wisdom
of the knowledge of God!
How unsearchable are His judgements
and how unscrutable His ways!
“For who has known the mind of our Lord,
or who has been His counselor?
Or who has given a gift to Him
so that He might be repaid?
For from Him and through Him
and to Him are all things.
To Him be glory forever. Amen.
…So that He may be glorified. So that He may be glorified. So that He may be glorified. In chapter 6, Job expresses his hurt to Eliphaz of his accusation (verse 14) “One should be kind to a fainting friend, but you accuse me without any fear of the Almighty”. Eliphaz doesn’t get it. And Job is starting to lose it. I wish I could say I would and could be as calm as Job. But not me. Can I just say I don’t like reading Job? I don’t. Remember that PRAISE I had yesterday for getting the email address in the grocery store—my miracle of the day?! Lost it. Yep. It’s true. Can’t find it any where. I think I left it in the grocery cart. Cleaned out the trash today…no luck. Then I didn’t get a shower today until 5pm and dinner guests were going to arrive at 6pm. Dinner still uncooked. Kids every where. Jumping out of the shower, throwing on clothes and then racing to put on the sweet diamond necklace that Richard gave me when I had baby Frank in the hospital (3 diamond circles to represent each of my babies). Gone. Yep, we’ve had a 4 year old princess who is addicted to playing in my jewelry box. So…either she played with it or I lost it. I was so upset, accused my 4 year old of taking it and it is JUST A WORLDLY POSSESSION and then screamed at Parker when he wouldn’t obey. I just sat on the kitchen floor—looked right at Frank and said, “Well God, I’m nothing like Job. I can’t even handle losing a necklace and kids who aren’t listening to me without losing it!” Frank just smiled—well, because he can’t talk yet. But still—today I had a new appreciation for Job…and that brings me to chapter 7.
I honestly don’t think I would have made it as long as he did before finally saying what he said. In verse 16, Job begins to lose heart and says, “I hate my life and don’t want to go on living. Oh, leave me along for my few remaining days.” And I wish I could say he was talking to his boy Eliphaz when he said those words. But he is not. He is talking to God. “Oh, just leave me alone.” I know what all the commentaries say about what Job’s response SHOULD HAVE been. Oh, I know the right words to say alright too. But it’s easier said than done. I wish I had some good insight on an appropriate response. But I don’t. I know that I want Job to fall on his knees and worship again–but that’s not the story in this chapter. The only thing I can take from this today…is that I hope I can be a different kind of friend than Eliphaz when my friends go through trouble. Help us Lord to hold their hands–and to help them praise. Lead us to remind them of your goodness and to stand beside them until the fog is cleared and they, too, are able to see Your glory. Help us all to trust you NO MATTER WHAT.
Adoption Prayer Request: We got a letter in the mail yesterday that said USCIS received our application (praise!) and cashed our check. BUT we still have not received a letter for our biometric fingerprinting appointment that MUST be done and cleared for us to receive our referral. Will you please pray that our appointment letter comes soon and that we are cleared BEFORE we get to the bottom of the referral list? THANK YOU! This is the ONLY pending thing for us…and we need it to happen as soon as possible. Thank you for praying. Trusting in the Lord’s timing.
praying right now! Thanks for letting us know about this singer…i am always up for learning about new singers as I am one of the worship leaders at our church and I LOVE finding new artists and songs especially of those who truly give God all the glory in their singing and its not about them! :0)
I don’t even know where to start on today’s reading. It was depressing, to say the least. But, that’s life, right? We have our ups and downs. There are weeks where things are running smooth and you are full of joy, and weeks (like this past one for us) where it just seems to be one thing after the other raining down on you. It’s overwhelming and it’s disheartening. I assume it makes it that much worse when your friends (the very ones you turn to for comfort) accuse you of sin. Job’s friends accused him of being guilty of sin and causing God to lash out on him. I loved his response when he said, “Look at me! Would I lie to your face? Stop assuming my guilt, for I am righteous.” Are we all as honest about our sins?
Job was reflecting on his spiritual life to see if he had done something to deserve this “punishment”, but he knew that he hadn’t done anything wrong. We need to examine our lives as well for any sin and be HONEST with God. It isn’t going to help anything if we can’t be honest about it. If we have wronged someone we need to make it right.
And just in case I hadn’t made it clear already, God is with you in your weakness. Check out what the Bible says about it:
“Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
“Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.” James 1:2-4
“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.” Proverbs 17:22
“Even when I walk through the dark valley of death, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.” Psalm 23:4
Isn’t THAT encouraging? So when you turn to a friend, or to your spouse, and they are unable to give you the comfort and advice you need, turn to His word.
admin -January 20, 2010 - 12:38 pm
MEGAN! Those verses and your share…SO GOOD!!! Thank you for sharing! My heart needed to hear those after today’s reading!!!!
Heather -January 20, 2010 - 7:16 pm
This was a depressing read today. I think in chapt. 5 he was looking for comfort from his friend. We all do that, but we should look to HIM! It is sad that he looks on his circumstances as something that he has done wrong, but don’t we all sometimes think of “trials” that way? Instead of to make our faith strong? Chapter 7 is very depressing. It seems as if he is what we’d call today, “suicidal.” He hates his life. The people around him have let hime down, so the only thing he can do is CLING to GOD!
Happy in Haiti! Hard to read those words now, huh? They don’t go together do they? This image was taken well before the earthquake. And as we start today’s scripture reading of Job–my mind first thought of Haiti. HOWEVER…Job had it MUCH better than the Haitians prior to his temptations from Satan.
(Chapter 1) Job was blameless and loved God. He had 7 sons, 3 daughters, 7,000 sheep, 7,000 camels, 500 oxen, 500 donkeys and a large number of servants. To be frankly said–he was filthy rich. He was the most powerful man in his city. He was God fearing and in love with the Lord. He was respected by all, and consistently was in prayer for his children’s behalf. A loving husband, amazing father and a blameless example of a servant of the Lord.
We know from Jacob’s dream from the Lord that angels come to and from earth presenting themselves to God on our behalf. The angels (Job 1:6) came to present themselves before the Lord–but Satan came with them this time. I love how Satan and God’s conversation starts here. It is obvious that this isn’t the first time a conversation like this has taken place…
God: Well look whose here! Where have you come from?
Satan: Doing what I do—roaming the earth to and fro. God: Have you considered Job? There’s no one on earth like him–he is blameless and upright. He fears me and hates evil. (I love that God didn’t have to ask what Satan was there FOR. HE KNEW. It is part of Satan’s job to tempt us, to get us off course, to distract us from the Lord and to ultimately get us to turn away.)
Satan: Well of COURSE Job fears ya! What does he have to fear? You have given him everything. He has no reason to not love you! Let’s see how much your servant loves you when you take everything away—surely he won’t love you then! God: Very well–but you may not lay a finger on his life.
In ONE DAY Job lost 7 sons, 3 daughters, all his sheep, camels, oxen, donkeys and servants. Can you imagine??? Can you? I surely can’t. The thought of losing one child takes my breath away–but to lose 10 children and everything you have?! I can completely understand Job’s mourning. Ripping his clothes. Shaving his head. But I really, really want to understand his worship.
“Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: “Naked I came from the womb and naked I depart. The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. May the name of the Lord be praised.”
WOW.
And this gave glory to God.
How do you react for things that don’t make sense? Do you mourn and then worship? I don’t know about you—but I mourn. It’s not that I’m mad at God in pain. It just doesn’t seem like the right response. I’m just being honest. BUT IT IS THE RIGHT RESPONSE. When I see this picture of this Haitian child who is hurting who no longer has family—my heart is grieved. It doesn’t make sense! And I wish, like Job, my next response was to get on my knees and worship the Lord. But today I’m going to try. Will you consider joining me today to pray on behalf of this child and all the children and people of Haiti…and then also on your knees worshipping our Creator…for all of His plans…for His future and plans for these people and ultimately FOR WHO HE IS! It is right to mourn. And it is right to worship. Even when it doesn’t make sense. Remember God is not asking us to worship Him for the bad things that happen–He is asking us to worship Him AMONG the bad things. When Job takes his eyes off God (later in chapter 4) it is because he is looking more at the distruction than the Lord. Let us keep our eyes focused on the Lord and in the midst of tragedy–put our TRUST in HIM, keep our EYES on HIM and praise HIM for He is worthy to be praised!
The rest of today’s reading is Chapter 2, Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 of Job. And I’m afraid friends–it only gets worse. There may be days when it looks as if the Lord isn’t winning—but hold tight…He ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS is in the end. We serve a victorious Master! And I believe in times of devestation, HE WANTS TO BE GLORIFIED! How will we step up today, this week, this year to glorify God in devestation??? How will we give up some of our own comfort so others may be comforted? Will we open up our hands and stop worrying about our futures (greed and lack of trust) and instead give them to God for the sake of His people—and say instead, “Here I am Lord. Use me. Everything I have and everything I am for YOUR GLORY!
(TURN OFF/PAUSE MUSIC AT PAGE BOTTOM BEFORE WATCHING MUSIC VIDEO)
Turn our frustration Lord to passion to be used for YOUR GLORY…
And let it end in PRAISE…
Where ever you are…no matter how funny you feel sitting and just singing by yourself…join with me in singing our trust and praise to the King…because HE is the only one you are singing for…
Andrea- I was just studying Job last week in my bible study. I also wrote down how amazed I was that in the midst of Job’s total family devestation, he said, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away, may the name of the Lord be praised.” Then later when he was afflicted with painful sores from head to toe his wife wondered why he was holding on to his integrity. She told him to “curse God and die.” He answered, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God and not trouble?” I’m amazed at Job’s heart and worship of the Lord in the midst of his horrible circumstances. It challenges me for sure! I feel like I read a devotion everytime I visit your site. Thanks!
If you have never read or heard of this book—the girls I have shared it with describe it as a “must read”, “the best mom book I have read in awhile” and “this is my NEW gift to every new mom…I think it should be required reading for mommies!”. It is out of print, so it’s hard to find—but if you hit Amazon or ebay at the right time you might get lucky and find one for under $30. If you see one, snag it…and yes–the $150 ones you see are for real. This book is now considered a collector’s item because of it’s demand and being out of print. 
Happy in Haiti! Hard to read those words now, huh? They don’t go together do they? This image was taken well before the earthquake. And as we start today’s scripture reading of Job–my mind first thought of Haiti. HOWEVER…Job had it MUCH better than the Haitians prior to his temptations from Satan.
by admin
thanks for telling us about the book! I will have to look it up!
Chapter 15: Eliphaz has mistaken Job’s words of grief for words of pride. That is something we all need to be very careful of, because minimizing someone’s expressed grief could prevent them from moving from despair into hope and move on. Eliphaz is convinced that his theory is true: if you are godly you prosper, if you are ungodly you suffer. It may even seem logical to us today. It’s even an easy theory to believe in, as long as things are going our way. But when suffering does come our way and we can’t find a logical explanation, that theory will no longer offer any comfort. It’s a pretty callous way to approach someone’s suffering, so let’s be careful with our accusations.
Chapter 16: We all have known some “miserable comforters” in our life. I hurt for Job, it’s like being slapped when you are already down.
Chapter 17: My commentary says, “How frightening death can be to those who are unaware of God’s glorious hope.” Job is obviously not certain about God’s promise of eternal life. Fortunately we never have to despair, because we know that promise!
Chapter 18: Bildad wanted to know why Job disregarded his “friends” comments, when to us the answer seems so obvious: they didn’t know what they were talking about. They were adding to his suffering with unnecessary guilt. We need to remember to support our friends with words of comfort and love. God is the ultimate judge, not us.
I agree with your take on the reading today. Thank you for continuing to do this. It has helped keep me accountable & want to read so that I can share with all of you. It is amazing what God can do! Looking forward to seeing what ways He will bless us.