Psalm 6

Psa 6:6 I am weary with my groaning; All night I make my bed swim; I drench my couch with my tears.

David is a real person. He struggled with real things. He hurt, and he cried. Yet the Bible descibes him as a man afer God's own heart.

First of all, it is okay to cry. David cries here. Jesus cries multiple times. David uses some of his talent as a song writer to create a vivid picture for us. He says that his bed was swimming. You picture him crying all night long in his anguish. In this desperate cry to the Lord he says he is weary with his groaning. Have you ever cried so much that you get exhausted and fall asleep? David, despite being exhausted, stayed wide awake. He just kept on crying.

We all cry. We all hurt. We all have nights where it is tough to fall asleep. We all grow weary. The beautiful thing about it is the Lord hears. The Lord hears our cries, our supplications and prayers. He does not rebuke us in our hurt bu He comforts us. He loves us beyond our understanding. He comforts us beyond our hurt. If you are having one of those days/weeks/ months where you find yourself in tears, turn to the Lord. Find comfort in Him, and He will not only restore you, but He will refresh His purpose in your heart.

Psalm 5

Psa 5:11 But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; Let those also who love Your name Be joyful in You.

There seems to be two different type of Christians out in the world. There are those who are joyful in everything they do. They are joyful, and they are a blast to be around. The second are those who do not seem joyful. They seem critical. They seem like they are always behind the curtain in the temple, having a very sovereign moment.

I understand there is difference in personalities, however, there should be a joy from being a Christian like none other. We should be ecstatic just in the fact that we are saved. We should be happy in the fact that we trust Jesus. The above verse is such a sweet reminder. Hey you, be full of joy because you trust God. You do not need any other reason, simply be joyful because you trust God. Be full of joy because you love Him.

Psalm 4

Psa 4:1 To the Chief Musician. With Stringed Instruments. A Psalm of David. Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have relieved me in my distress; Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.

Stress is a powerful enemy. Doctors give it much credit toward multiple illnesses. If you are having heart issues, they check how much stress you have in your life. Often times headaches are caused by stress. Depression usually starts with great deals of stress. Stress may be self-inflicted or it may come from another. Stress may be for good reason or simply conjured up. Nevertheless, in our life, we will have stress.

The above verse says, "You have relieved me in my distress." Distress is described by Webster as "extreme anguish." The beautiful thing about this verse is, it is not focused on distress. Instead the Psalmist, David, writes emphasizing the words "You" and "relieved." God relieves. God relieves us from all the pressure and hurt we gather in this life.

Think about this! This is God, the eternal. He challenges us multiple times to dwell on the things of the eternal. Typically, when we are distressed we are dwelling on treasures stored up here on earth. It typically is a lack of faith on our part. God does not punish us. Instead, in our weakness, He comes and relieves us. Wat a God we serve.

In our time of distress, we need to turn to the Lord. Our relief can only be found in Him. Imagine a world where, instead of prescribing anti-depressants, doctors would point people to the Lord. He is true relief.

Psalm 3

Psa 3:5 I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the LORD sustained me.

David was going through a tough time. His so had turn on him and was trying to take over the kingdom. What was David to do? Does he fight against his own son? Does he give up the kingdom to a wicked man?

In the face of complications and trials, it can be very hard for me to sleep. My mind races when I hit the pillow. David had decision and heartbreak to deal with, yet because he as sustained in the Lord, he could fall asleep at night. For David, the most important thing was his relationship between himself and God. Susatained in that, he would close his eyes and fall asleep.

I do not know what everyone is going through today, however I know my Lord does. If you cannot sleep at night, find peace in the Lord. If you are going through a trial that has your mind racing, just think about your relationship with God. He sustains His children. He puts us to sleep every night, and He wake us up again.

Psalm 2

Psalm two is sweet. In it we have our first glimpse of PROPHECY within the Psalms. As David and the other psalmists would write and sing, they would often utter words that were PROPHETIC, things that looked forward to Jesus and His coming as messiah.

Here we have a picture painted for us of the rulers of the world. They are gathered together and they have one common goal in mind… they want to cast off the authority of God and be free from Him once and for all. The Lord’s response at this is to laugh; their plans are absolutely nothing compared to Him.

The Psalmist tells us what His plan is… it is JESUS. Jesus will be salvation to those who trust in Him, but the ultimate end of those who don’t. Jesus is someone you cannot be neutral towards. You either place your faith in Him allowing Him to be your Lord, or you turn from Him and become an object of His wrath. There is no in between, there will be no third category.

The question for us is simple. The world around is constantly trying to cast God out of every part of life… they are choosing to stand in defiance to Him, but what about you and I? Will we trust in Jesus? Will we “kiss the Son”? Will we recognize His lordship and worship Him? These are the questions that ultimately determine our eternal destiny…

Psalm 1

Here in Psalm one, we are given a bit of an introduction to the book. It is in the form of a Psalm, but it provides us with a brief intro to blessing, the righteous, and the ungodly. The themes touched on in this psalm will be ones that we see recurring all throughout the book.

We could almost subtitle this psalm “What’s On Your Mind?” It confronts us with two lifestyles, the one of the righteous man, and the one of the ungodly. The interesting thing is it seems that the determining factor as far as which camp you fall doesn’t begin with what you do, but with WHAT YOU THINK. Belief precedes action, and what we think about something determines what we are going to do about something. For the RIGHTEOUS man, our thinking is to be shaped by the word of God… it is to be a part of everything we do. We are told it is to be the thing the righteous man DELIGHTS in, and it should be in his thoughts DAY and NIGHT.

So my question for you as we begin studying the Psalms is simple: what’s on your mind? What occupies your thoughts? Is it God’s word, or is it the things of this world? I pray that TODAY you would decide to let the Word of God and what it has to say to you be your meditation.

Psalms

As a kid I did not understand what the word psalm meant, so it was explained to me that it meant "song." I started to call the book, "Songs." After a little while I outgrew that, but nevertheless the word Psalm still remained a mystery. I understood that these were songs, but I could not help but feel there was something more to the meaning. There is. The word psalm literally translates "A poem set to notes" (A song). By the time Jesus was born the word had come to mean, "A sacred song."

What makes these songs sacred? Is it because they are in Scripture? Yes, however there is something more. You see, a song can be written about anything or anyone. A Psalm is always about the Lord. It could dwell on any part of Him. It could dwell on His Name, His mercy, His love, His power, and His Word. A psalm is truly sacred. It is holy because it references holiness.

As we read through the Psalms, many things should take place. 1) We should learn. These sacred songs contain lessons! 2) We should worship. Psalms magnify the Lord, and minimize the world. 3) We should examine. Psalms contain more than just worship. They contain history, science, prophecy, and understanding. Lastly, through the Holy Spirit, we should attain the heart of the Psalm. These words were written by men like ourselves, to communicate to the Holy of holies. Looking through the Psalms should bring us closer to the Lord. Now we look, and communicate through the blood of Jesus. Even more reason to give praise to the Lord!

Job 42

Job 42:5-6 "I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You. (6) Therefore I abhor myself, And repent in dust and ashes."

I said it earlier this week and I will say it again, I think Job did pretty good. He never did what Satan set out for him, he never cursed God. In fact, he openly proclaimed, in the face of his friends and wife, that he will not curse the nae of the Lord but rather bless it. You look at everything he has been through and you start to thinks, "Pats on back Job. Y0u are a pretty good guy."

Well, Job would disagree with you. See, Job did not curse God's name, but he did question God's plan. He could not understand why God would do this to him. This may sound like a minor offense, however, when faced before the righteousness of God, Job felt like dust. In fact, he says, "Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes." I have never repented in dust and ashes. How powerful that experience with God must have been! Compared to God's righteousness, Job could not bare to look at himself.

We may have "good" weeks. We may have times when we feel we have followed all of God's commands possible. We may also have times when we feel we have done this in the face of tribulation. Consider the righteousness of God. Remember, He is on a different level of righteousness we could ever conjure up. He is God, and we are man. I beleieve we need to be like Job. We need to repent for what we ave done and continue to bless the name of the Lord and the name of Jesus for allowing us access into this righteousness.

Next time you want to give yourself a pat on the back, consider Job, consider his testimony, and consider his final action. Rather than pat himself on the back, he repented in dust and ashes.

!!!Happy Birthday Seth!!!

Tuesday was Seth's birthday. Unfortuately church was canceled Wednesday night so we could not celebrate it together. So we will celebrate here, HAPPY BIRTHDAY SETH!!!!

Please, tell us a little bit about yourself, age, hobbies, etc...

Job 41

Job 41:1 "Can you draw out Leviathan with a hook, Or snare his tongue with a line which you lower?

There has been much debate over what the Leviathan is. Some have believed it to be a whale, because the word literally translates whale. Others, because of the descriptions, have thought it to be like a crocodile. I honestly believe this creature to be even greater than both. The Lord says that when he sneezes, light flashes, and that out of his mouth comes a flame. I believe this to suggest that Leviathan is a fire breathing animal! He has scales which produces a hard layer, much like a crocodile. He has so many teeth which come together perfectly, the Lord states, "...no air can come between them." This creature is certainly fierce. Picture a dragon of the sea.

The simple lesson from this chapter is, as awesome and mystical and out of this world Leviathan is, our God is even greater still. Our God is all powerful. Our God is truly great. We go to the zoo, and see powerful animals and stand amazed. I know I love to see the giraffe. The designs and the animals shape is crazy! However, even more amazing still is that I stand before the creator of the world and sup with Him at His table. Take time to worship God, not just in worship, but on your own. Truly our Lord is great!

Job 40

Job 40:2-5 "Shall the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him? He who rebukes God, let him answer it." (3) Then Job answered the LORD and said: (4) "Behold, I am vile; What shall I answer You? I lay my hand over my mouth. (5) Once I have spoken, but I will not answer; Yes, twice, but I will proceed no further."

When you first read the book of Job, it is easy to think it is all about Job's glory. In my opinion, the guy passed with flying colors. He had everything that was of worth to him taken away. His friends and even his wife turn on him. He is suffering in pain. His only fault is that he asks God, "Why?" Like I said, flying colors.

When we dig deeper into Job we realize, this book was not made that we might give Job praise, but that we might give God praise. As mentioned before, Job's righteousness and God's righteousness are in different leagues. Job was a righteous man, God said so. He was blameless. However, the righteousness of God is that much greater. Reading these chapters you cannot help but feel in awe of the power of God. Imagine being there, experiencing the voice of the Lord from the whirlwind. Imagine being rebuked by God's voice, and hearing Him describe His creation. It would sure beat biology class.

Job was coming undone. You see, Job was blameless, but he was still human, and he still had a layer of pride that the LORD wanted to get rid of. As He states later in this chapter, (Can you) "Look on everyone who is proud, and humble him?"

We are His workmanship, and He is the Workman. His level of righteousness is far beyond what we can attain. Therefore, as a loving father, God is going to refine us. In the end, may God, not us, attain all the glory. May we be left like Job, with a hand over our mouths, speechless in the Lord.

Job 39

Job 39:25 At the blast of the trumpet he says, 'Aha!' He smells the battle from afar, The thunder of captains and shouting.

All these verses allude to one thing, the power and wisdom of the Lord. Here is God observing His creation. He knows all of His creations very well, and He acknowledges each one of their gifts. He ackowledges that to some, He gave an extra instinct, only He could give.

Have you ever watched Animal Planet? SOmetimes you watch these animals and when you figure out what they do to preserve their life you have to wonder, "How do they do that?" God tells us here tat the horse was essentially designed for battle. For some reason, the horse does not spook when in the midst of chaos. We have no explanation except that it was God's will for it to be that way.

Finally we look at Job. He is sitting before the Lord soaking all of this in. It would be like going to school and finding out that God was going to be your teacher. All of a sudden it is becoming crystal clear that the whole world is a testiment to God's awesome work. I know I cannot help but be amazed at our Lord when reading through these verses. It reminds me to appreciate His creation all around me. May we all give praise to God continually, for we are His greatest creation.

Job 38

Then the LORD answered Job from the whirlwind: "Who is this that questions My wisdom with such ignorant words?

(Job 38:1-2)

It is here that we finally see the Lord speak. He is about to respond to Job, and what He brings are not the “answers” that Job had “demanded”. Instead, He has a set of questions for Job… they are questions that expose how little Job, and you, and I, and Elihu, and Zophar, and Bildad, and Eliphaz, and really the whole world; know about God and the things of God. God begins this interrogation by asking question number one… “Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words?” Though spoken to Job specifically, I believe it applied to all 4 of his friends. There words had been words of IGNORANCE. They were trying to speak about things they knew nothing of as if like Elihu claimed, they had PERFECT KNOWLEDGE of them. Job was blameless God had said, and was a man who no other was like… yet He was still ignorant!

As you read the following chapters, the ones that deal with God’s interrogation of Job, think about how you would answer God… are you speechless? Sometimes the greatest thing we can do is just worship God in silence, in awe of His greatness. I am glad I can’t answer “yes I know all this stuff” to the questions God presents. One of the beautiful things about having a relationship with God is simply this: He is God. He knows things we will never know. That in itself makes Him worthy of our worship.

Job 37

We cannot look at the sun, for it shines brightly in the sky when the wind clears away the clouds. So also, golden splendor comes from the mountain of God. He is clothed in dazzling splendor. We cannot imagine the power of the Almighty; but even though He is just and righteous, He does not destroy us. No wonder people everywhere fear Him. All who are wise show Him reverence."

(Job 37:21-24)

God is Holy. We are told in the Old Testament that anyone who looked upon Him would surely die. In the New Testament we are told that He is a CONSUMING FIRE. Holy. Unapproachable. Glorious like the sun, yet inaccessible like the sun.

When Jesus came, all of this changed. God is holy still, that has not changed; but when Jesus died, and the veil in the temple was torn, we gained access like we NEVER HAD BEFORE.

According to the scriptures, we can now BOLDY approach God’s Throne… in fact; it is described as a THRONE OF GRACE. Did you catch that? God is enthroned upon the stuff that He gives us freely to live the life He has called us to live. Do you realize how blessed we are? Do you realize how amazing the relationship we have with God is? We can talk to Him like a friend… like a father. We can come to Him at any time, we have ACCESS. Elihu says that in view of God’s holiness and mercy, we should show the Lord reverence… how much more then should we give to Him our EVERYTHING in light of His love and grace?

Job 36

I will fetch my knowledge from afar; I will ascribe righteousness to my Maker. For truly my words are not false; one who is perfect in knowledge is with you.

(Job 36:3-4)

What a crazy thing to claim! Elihu thinks that he has PERFECT KNOWLEDGE in this area concerning God and the things of God.

Friends… we don’t have PERFECT knowledge about anything. We are learning more and more all the time, but our knowledge, especially in the area of God and the things of God is FAR FROM PERFECT. The Bible says that our view of these things today in this fallen world is like looking through a piece of foggy or frosted glass. It’s distorted, we can’t make out the details, there are pieces missing. By the Holy Spirit we can know all that we NEED to know, but we in no way at all know all that there is to know.

We need to keep ourselves in a place where our positions and opinions about God, His work, and His ways are always being refined. We need to be sure that we don’t act like we have it all figured out. It is only as we come to God’s word that we can have things become clearer… so don’t close the file on anything. Let God continue to bring deeper knowledge.

We can preach the Gospel with authority as men and women led by and filled with the Spirit. Authority is one thing… claiming infallibility is another! Be humble, and point people not to YOURSELF but to Jesus as the TRUTH.

Job 35

But it is wrong to say God doesn't listen, to say the Almighty isn't concerned. You say you can't see Him, but He will bring justice if you will only wait.

(Job 35:13-14)

This is a good word from Elihu. In the book of Isaiah we read (paraphrasing) that “the Lord doesn’t need hearing aids, He can hear your every prayer; and it isn’t that He can’t reach us if we need His salvation… the problem lies with us. Our sins have separated us from a holy God”. It is here that we realize that the problem never lies on God’s side of the equation, it is always with us. Now, God declared that Job was more righteous than any other man on the face of the earth, but his righteousness was still like FILTHY RAGS before a holy God.

God has provided a way for us to have a relationship with Him. We can deal with the issue of the sin that separates us. In Job’s day, they looked forward to the day when men could have intimate and open communication with the Lord the way that we do. Elihu’s admonition was especially applicable for Job and his contemporaries. The Lord listened, and He WAS concerned. In fact, He cared a great deal about Job, and would see to it that all things were made right. Job couldn’t see God, or the answer God was going to send… but the Lord was working.

Sometimes we can feel like Job. It is as if God doesn’t care, and our prayers just hit the ceiling and fall right back to the ground. God is listening. God is working. God will make all things right… he promises it in His word. Wait on the Lord.

Job 34

Truly, God will not do wrong. The Almighty will not twist justice. Did someone else put the world in His care? Who set the whole world in place? If God were to take back His spirit and withdraw His breath, all life would cease, and humanity would turn again to dust.

(Job 34:12-15)

This verse got me thinking… I’ve been asking myself, “What WOULD happen if God withdrew from us, if He truly abandoned us?” Can you even begin to imagine a world where God WASN’T at work? One where God did wrong, or twisted justice to His own ends? Can you imagine if we lived in a world where God just didn’t care about us or anyone else? This world would truly be an AWFUL place.

We often here people asking the question “where is God when _______”. They talk about God in terms of why does He do this, why doesn’t He do this, etc… In the midst of their struggles with the circumstances of life they are losing sight of what would happen if God WASN’T involved. We need to remember that God is really the only reason we breathe. He is the only reason we have life at all. The question shouldn’t be “why is God letting this happen to me”; on the contrary, it should be, “why does God continue to sustain me, why does He allow me, a sinner, to live anyway”.

Listen to the words of Psalm 8:

O LORD, our Lord, Your majestic name fills the earth!

Your glory is higher than the heavens.

You have taught children and infants to tell of Your strength, silencing Your enemies and all who oppose You.

When I look at the night sky and see the work of Your fingers—

The moon and the stars You set in place—

What are mere mortals that You should think about them?

human beings that You should care for them?

Yet You made them only a little lower than God

and crowned them with glory and honor.

You gave them charge of everything You made,

putting all things under their authority—

the flocks and the herds and all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and everything that swims the ocean currents.

O LORD, our Lord, Your majestic name fills the earth!

(Psa 8:1-9)

Job 33

Elihu begins in this chapter to explain to Job just WHAT his problem with Job really is. He begins to paraphrase Job, quoting him from all of his previous speeches where he made himself to be sinless, pure, innocent, and free of guilt. Elihu points out that Job described the events that had overtaken him as God picking on him as if he were an enemy. To this Elihu says, “You are wrong, and I will tell you why”.

The essence of Elihu’s problem with Job lies in these two things.

1. Job had made himself out to be guiltless, something no man is, or ever has been
2. Job made it seem as though the LORD was the one that was unrighteous.

Elihu tells Job that God is bigger than all of us, and all that we see. He deals in realms beyond us, things we cannot see or understand. He maintains that in spite of this, and in spite of Job’s arguments to the contrary, God DOES speak to us, through dreams and visions, and through his chastening hand. Elihu says that God was trying to bring Job to a point of humility and repentance, a point of recognizing that God is ALWAYS RIGHTEOUS whether we understand it or not.

Elihu’s message is not bad. The problem with Elihu is that his delivery is one of ARROGANCE. In addition to that, his arguments only somewhat apply to Job. Ultimately this whole thing was not really about Job and his sin; though he was a sinner… it was about God, and the challenge from Satan on the issue of WHY He was worshipped.

We need to be careful that we don’t begin to think we have things all figured out. Elihu thinks he has it all figured out. Don’t be an Elihu… Let God be God, he doesn’t need us to defend Him, just to point people to Him.

Job 32

Job's three friends refused to reply further to him because he kept insisting on his innocence. Then Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite, of the clan of Ram, became angry. He was angry because Job refused to admit that he had sinned and that God was right in punishing him. He was also angry with Job's three friends, for they made God appear to be wrong by their inability to answer Job's arguments. Elihu had waited for the others to speak to Job because they were older than he. But when he saw that they had no further reply, he spoke out angrily.

(Job 32:1-5)

Anger. In this passage we see a new charter named Elihu. He is a younger man, and seemingly he has been around for this entire debate. The first thing we see about Elihu is that he was ANGRY. He was angry for two different reasons, and eventually his anger compels him to speak. Notice the two things that drove Elihu to the point of speaking out in anger.

1. Elihu was angry with JOB because Job refused to admit his sin, and say that God was right in punishing him.
2. Elihu was angry with JOB’S FRIENDS because in his mind, their faulty arguments made it seem as though Job was right, and God was UNRIGHTEOUS.

Now, before we get into talking about Elihu and his arguments, I think it is important for us to understand that in the last chapter of Job God rebukes Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar; but He says nothing to Elihu. Though this doesn’t mean that everything Elihu says is right, and all of his attitudes are right, it does help us to see that God viewed Elihu’s speech as something totally different than those of the other three men. In fact, God corrects Job for speaking out of ignorance, something He does NOT do to Elihu.

Having said that, I see 2 problems arise with Elihu here in this 1^st chapter.

1. He talks an awful lot about himself.
2. He lets his anger cause him to “spout off”. In a sense, it is controlling him rather than he controlling it.

The Bible tells us to “be angry and sin not”. Anger is a problem when it is directed at people, when it isn’t controlled. Elihu should have taken this anger and frustration and brought it to the Lord. Then he could have spoken in a more controlled and even manner.

If we allow anger to control us, we can come off as harsh, brash, or even self-consumed. Elihu comes off as all of these things. Friends, if God gives you a word to share with someone, whether it is for encouragement or correction, do it in a HUMBLE way… it’s the Lord’s word and not yours! Don’t speak out of anger or frustration, but let EVERYTHING you do be done in LOVE. We want to be people that are LED by the SPIRIT, not DRIVEN by our ANGER.

Job 31

Job's words are ended.

(Job 31:40b)

This is the end of Job’s final speech, and it leaves us with this sense… Job believes that what has happened to him is UNFAIR. He says that he hasn’t sinned to deserve this, that in fact, he is more righteous than other men. Is he right?

Think about this idea of FAIRNESS. JUSTICE. WHAT I DESERVE. From God’s perspective, do you know what Job “DESERVED”? He deserved hell! Do you know why??? Because he is a SINNER, he was born as a sinner just like you and I. Job has a problem that is very easy to have here on earth… he is comparing himself the people all around him. Compared to them, maybe he doesn’t “deserve” to be punished; maybe they deserve it more than him. In God’s eyes a sinner is a sinner is a sinner. There isn’t varying degrees, for him any darkness is too much. He is the FATHER OF LIGHTS, in him there isn’t even shadow, just PURE LIGHT!

Job reminds me of what I used to do as a kid. I would often exclaim “IT’S NOT FAIR”!!!! I wanted fairness all the time, equality… I wanted all my brothers and sisters to have to wait as long as me for privileges. I wanted everything to be EVEN. I didn’t want to be SHORTED in any way.

God’s economy is different than ours. Job was so busy comparing himself to others that he forgot just how far short he fell of God’s holiness.

Remember, don’t talk about what you deserve, you deserve HELL. Grace and mercy is what we have, and let’s be thankful!

Chapter 30

In this chapter, we see Job at his lowest. He describes how drastic his change in circumstance was… he went from the top to the very bottom almost overnight. He says here in this chapter that he had fallen so low that the very outcasts of society mocked and jeered at him… they called him names and treated him with utter contempt.

For Job, this was more than he could bear. His humiliation was so great that he claims here that his “life was seeping away, and depression was haunting all of his days”. Why was Job distressed? Why was he distressed? Why does it seem that he has lost all hope? The Bible answers these questions by telling us that Job was looking at himself and his circumstances rather than the Lord. In Isaiah we read that “The Lord will keep in PERFECT PEACE those whose minds are stayed on Him, because they trust in Him”. Perfect peace doesn’t mean they won’t have outward conflict or adverse circumstances… it means that as these go on, the man or woman who focuses on the Lord and trust Him will have a heart that is filled with God’s peace. In a similar way Paul told us in Philippians that if we lay our cares and burdens at his feet, He will grant us a peace that PASSES OUR UNDERSTANDING. Not a peace ABOUT our circumstances, a peace IN SPITE OF our circumstances.

Corrie Tenboom said this, “Look with out and be distressed, look within and be depressed, look to Jesus and be at rest”. That sums up Job and what he needs. He needs to look to Jesus. What about you? Are you distressed or depressed? Are you facing challenges greater than yourself, maybe greater than you have ever had to deal with before? Look to Jesus, and in Him you will find REST.

Job 29

In this chapter we have Job recount to his friends the way that things once where, the blessings that he possessed as a man who followed the Lord and was used by the Lord. Let’s take a minute and look at what some of these things were:

1. God’s presence was clearly felt in Job’s home
2. God’s protection was clearly seen over Job’s family
3. God’s blessing was clearly seen over Job’s industry
4. He had a position of respect and prominence in the community
5. He had a reputation for being a great and godly man
6. He devoted his life to devoting the helpless; widows, orphans, strangers, and those oppressed
7. He was like a tree, constantly refreshed and renewed by God’s living water
8. His counsel was respected and sought after
9. I comforted the mourning and the discouraged
10. I was a leader to the people

These things are all circumstances. They are in no way permanent fixtures that come with being a Christian. There will be times in the life of a godly man or woman that things look this way. At other times, they may lose all of this. The one thing that never changes is the Lord’s faithfulness to us. He loves us and is always with us, through good times and bad.

Job said at the beginning of the book that “the Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord”. Tomorrow we will see Job recount how these circumstances had changed. What Job never forgets is that the Lord is still worthy of praise.