When the waters stir. Here are the words of a man who has lost more than we can fathom. A man trying to muster every ounce of trust in a Good God Who "has taken away my right, the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter." And Job promises that as long as he has breath, he will not speak falsehood nor deceive. My problem is not thinking I am righteous, I know I'm not. Job was the other side of the coin. "I will not put away my integrity from me." Job 28:5. The last disaster that I was in caused me to question the motives of others rather than pursue righteousness and what was going on inside of my own heart. Job may be boastful of his righteousness but he is falling forward in a direction where few land. And he said: "Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom." Job longed for wisdom! May it be the cry of our hearts in the midst of any mess. Wisdom far above the price of gold and jewels. Is that what I long for in the midst of my health issues? Job did. That a man could live with no reproach, in such enormous suffering, and not let go of his trust in a Good God! No words.
COME BOLDLY
Oh, Father, may we drink deeply from the words of this man who loved you so. Job didn't believe that You owed him a better life. He did think his righteousness should please you. If only we all could see the depths of our sinful nature and how we use You. All the while, you are empowering and enabling each one of us to become the men and women You have called us to be. Grant us Grace to face the place where we live.
PHOTO: Pensacola Beach, Florida. Credit of Flickr, Commons. I've stood on this pier when the waves crashed just like that in my heart. I've spilled tears here. And I fell forward on a very Good God.
Lord, Show us if we have an area in our life that is not authentic, an area which needs healing or we have something buried which needs to be confessed. I ask You Lord, to fill us with Your wisdom today. In Jesus' Name I pray.
ReplyDeleteThe wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down. ~Proverbs 14:1
ReplyDeleteLord, I pray for wisdom regarding my home. Please teach me to love my husband how you want me love him and respect him the way you want me to. Even when he... In Jesus' Name I pray.
Sometimes I think God put this entire discourse in Scripture so we could feel just how patient God is with us while we spend so many words on something as we wrestle, wrestle, to finally reach that place of surrender. As we see here, Job's sin is the fact that he thinks he's righteous---even if he is! The very fact that he thinks he's pure becomes his pride to confess. We are about to see a turn in Job. When we stand before the holiness of God, we are forced to see our own sin. What everybody else is doing, saying, even if it is affecting us, isn't our problem, although we'd often like, as Job did, for them to close their mouths.
ReplyDeleteOur wisdom is the fear of the Lord. Our strength is found in His presence. And it is in that holy Place that we confess, as Job, “Behold, I am vile; What shall I answer You? I lay my hand over my mouth."
As I read everyone's words and as I contemplate my own heart and my own mess.I see that we are waiting on God and looking to Him for answers. Job is a great example for all of us. I too, have NO idea how he could lose all that he had lost and still not curse God. There are NO words for his loss. As I witness to my young grandsons and answer their questions to the best of my ability with the knowledge that God has given me and from what I know to be true deep within my spirit, it came to me that they want immediate answers to just about everything!!! They are so used to technology answering their every whim and question. I am starting to pray that they will be patient when God does NOT answer them immediately and they will not turn against Him WHEN He does not answer in the affirmative and very quickly. For we all know that God does not answer immediately every time. We truly only learn as we wait on Him and He reveals to us what His answer is. May we each one fall forward to our loving Father's arms and rest there.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't thought about that, Mary Lou, how children (and today's adults) will not have the patience to wait well on God due to technology in particular. I am going to start praying that prayer for my children and grandchildren!
DeleteWhen I read this earlier, Mary Lou, I was immediately convicted. I too (51yo) want immediate answers. I wonder how many times I have "Googled" my questions when I should have gone down on my knees when I need answers? It's a scary thought! Praying for patience in the waiting. Thanks for your input! I love this community of awesome Godly women! :)
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