Fear thou not, for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
Isaiah 41:10
If I am completely honest with myself... and you, I must say, that like Job, I have struggled with my faith at times. I will not say that I have suffered more than Job, I don't think that there is anyone who can say that.
Whether we are facing one great battle such as a persistent and permanent illness or one trial after another, eventually these adversities become difficult to bear. It is even more burdensome to explain to family and friends exactly what we are going through.
This is when and why I turn to God's Holy Word! And, yes I go right to the book of Job, to remember his fight with misery and faith! We all know that God allowed Satan to batter Job to such an extent that he began to anguish in extreme despair, even of his life and the very day he was born.
Still, let's not be too hard on Job, after all his friends accused him of sin, his own wife told him to curse God and die. And, I'm not sure that Job ever did know why God had allowed him to go through so many personal afflictions.
Job lost everything... he lost his children, his health, his crops, his livestock, even the relationship with his wife and friends. These were Job's good friends who instead of empathizing with Job, they accused him of sinning therefore causing the pain and loss he was going through.
And, Job lost all of his wealth... something I'm sure many of us would cringe and shrink from just the thought of losing our bank accounts!!
I'm sure Job felt abandoned and an enemy of God due to his suffering, so like myself at times, Job started to complain to God. (see Job 13:23,24) Truth be told, Job absolutely agonized over his suffering, saying "My soul is weary of my life; I will leave my complaint upon myself; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul. I will say unto God, do not condemn me; show me wherefore thou contendest with me. Is it good unto thee, that thou should oppress, that thou should despise the work of thine hands, and shine upon the counsel of the wicked? Hast thou eyes of flesh? Or seest thou as man seeth?" (see Job 10:1-4)
I must admit I have felt some of Job's feelings at times, and I have questioned God...maybe you have also. But, when I pray and seek God in my suffering, I know He understands.
God knows our frame, that we are fragile and weak, after-all we are made of dust (see Psalm 103:14). And, I have found that it is okay to question God and even doubt Him at times, still we do not want to stay there!! Remember, after God acknowledged Job (see Job 38 & 39), Job repented and humbled himself before God (see Job 42).
So as we face severe trials and even struggle with our own faith, remember there is no faith worth having that has not been tested by fire. Job learned this very point of view when he said, "But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold." Job 23:10
And, always remember... we are "In God's Hands!" God assures us that He has chosen us and He will not forsake us. There is no need to panic when we know that God is with us, wherever we are and wherever we go. He alone will give us the strength we need to go forward and He will help us, even carry us when we think we can't go on.
When we are "In God's Hands" we can know that His grip on us is steady and firm! We need not fear or be anxious for truly we are "In God's Hands..." keep repeating that in your thinking until you are confident in God's Holy Word!!
Isaiah 41:10
If I am completely honest with myself... and you, I must say, that like Job, I have struggled with my faith at times. I will not say that I have suffered more than Job, I don't think that there is anyone who can say that.
Whether we are facing one great battle such as a persistent and permanent illness or one trial after another, eventually these adversities become difficult to bear. It is even more burdensome to explain to family and friends exactly what we are going through.
This is when and why I turn to God's Holy Word! And, yes I go right to the book of Job, to remember his fight with misery and faith! We all know that God allowed Satan to batter Job to such an extent that he began to anguish in extreme despair, even of his life and the very day he was born.
Still, let's not be too hard on Job, after all his friends accused him of sin, his own wife told him to curse God and die. And, I'm not sure that Job ever did know why God had allowed him to go through so many personal afflictions.
Job lost everything... he lost his children, his health, his crops, his livestock, even the relationship with his wife and friends. These were Job's good friends who instead of empathizing with Job, they accused him of sinning therefore causing the pain and loss he was going through.
And, Job lost all of his wealth... something I'm sure many of us would cringe and shrink from just the thought of losing our bank accounts!!
I'm sure Job felt abandoned and an enemy of God due to his suffering, so like myself at times, Job started to complain to God. (see Job 13:23,24) Truth be told, Job absolutely agonized over his suffering, saying "My soul is weary of my life; I will leave my complaint upon myself; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul. I will say unto God, do not condemn me; show me wherefore thou contendest with me. Is it good unto thee, that thou should oppress, that thou should despise the work of thine hands, and shine upon the counsel of the wicked? Hast thou eyes of flesh? Or seest thou as man seeth?" (see Job 10:1-4)
I must admit I have felt some of Job's feelings at times, and I have questioned God...maybe you have also. But, when I pray and seek God in my suffering, I know He understands.
God knows our frame, that we are fragile and weak, after-all we are made of dust (see Psalm 103:14). And, I have found that it is okay to question God and even doubt Him at times, still we do not want to stay there!! Remember, after God acknowledged Job (see Job 38 & 39), Job repented and humbled himself before God (see Job 42).
So as we face severe trials and even struggle with our own faith, remember there is no faith worth having that has not been tested by fire. Job learned this very point of view when he said, "But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold." Job 23:10
And, always remember... we are "In God's Hands!" God assures us that He has chosen us and He will not forsake us. There is no need to panic when we know that God is with us, wherever we are and wherever we go. He alone will give us the strength we need to go forward and He will help us, even carry us when we think we can't go on.
When we are "In God's Hands" we can know that His grip on us is steady and firm! We need not fear or be anxious for truly we are "In God's Hands..." keep repeating that in your thinking until you are confident in God's Holy Word!!
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