“Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy; To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name. Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.” Psalm 33:18-22.
My Scripture reading this week has been in the Book of Job. How depressing this book would be if we did not know how the story ends. It is hard to imagine anyone facing all the troubles that Job did in such a brief time. We know now that God was allowing Satan to test Job, but God did not reveal this to Job, and we can understand how discouraged and frustrated he must have felt.
Three of his friends came to visit him, and for seven days and nights, they just sat on the ground saying nothing. Can you imagine this scene? What must have been going through their minds? Then Job broke the silence and cursed the day that he had been born.
“What I always feared has happened to me. What I dreaded has come true. I have no peace, no quietness. I have no rest; only trouble comes.” Job. 3:26. NLT
Finally, Eliphaz started to speak. He reminded Job that in the past he had been an encouragement to many people and a strength to those who were weak. He had been a support to those who had failed. So why now was he afraid when trouble had struck him? He asked Job,
“Doesn’t your reverence for God give you confidence? Doesn’t your life of integrity give you hope?” Job 4:6 NLT
It is so easy for us to encourage a friend or family member to trust the Lord when they are facing times of trial and testing. We remind them that all things work together for good for those who love the Lord and that the Lord has a purpose in all that He allows us to go through.
But when we are facing rough times in our life it is sometimes a different story. We may not understand why things are happening, but we rest upon the hope He has given us and trust in the promises of His Word to never leave us nor forsake us.
Later we see Job’s trust expressed in Job 23:8-10 “Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him: On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him: But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.”
No matter what we are experiencing, we have the certainty of God’s help as David expressed in Psalm 33. As we await His time to act, our trust will eventually bring joy, and we will be able to praise Him.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, we have confidence and hope in you. Even when we cannot see You or feel you, we know that you are working all things for our good.
Devotion by Anne Johnston
2 Comments
You nailed it–for me. We are also (my hubby) reading in Job, experiencing many new things: a move to a new city to start a work; grandkids moving; a smaller home; applying for Medicare; applying for retirement benefits. It’s all been very stressful, especially when our home needs to be ready asap for small group meetings. God, you are our hope and salvation!
I am glad that this was a blessing to you. Sounds like you are making a lot of changes all at once and that can be stressful. I am so glad that the Lord leads us and gives the strength that we need in times of transition. I pray the Lord will bless your ministry and use you to win many souls to Him.