“For he performeth the thing that is appointed for me: and many such things are with him.” Job 23:14
My Bible reading for the last few days has been in the Book of Job. It is not the most comfortable book in the bible to read, but it has a lot to teach us if we listen carefully. I have been reading it in the New Living Translation, as I find it easier to understand than the King James Version.
Job sat there in the ash heap, in pain and agony. Not only was his body covered in boils, but his heart was filled with grief over the loss of his children and most of his possessions. Besides that, his so-called friends were accusing him of wrongdoing. Can we blame him for questioning God?
And yet in the midst of it all, he kept his hope in God. Let’s look at Chapter 23 from the NLT:
- Verse 3 “If only I knew where to find God, I would go to his court.”
- Verse 6 “He would give me a fair hearing.”
- Verse 7-9 “I go east…west….north….south, but he is concealed.”
- Verse 10 “But he knows where I am going. And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold.”
- Verse 11 “for I have stayed on God’s paths.”
- Verse 14 “So he will do to me whatever he has planned. He controls my destiny.”
Today we do not have to go searching after the Lord like Job did. Because of Jesus coming to earth, and shedding His blood for our redemption, we have a mediator. He is just as close as the mention of His Name. We know that he hears us every time we call on Him, and that He has a plan and a purpose for our lives. He knows our past, present and future, and He controls our destiny. Nothing can separate us from His love.
I trust that none of us will ever have to face all the things that Job did. But whatever comes our way, we can call on the Name of Jesus and know He is right there listening to our cry. He knows where we are and where we are going.
Thought For Today: Job 19:25 “For I know that my redeemer liveth.”
Devotion by Anne Johnston
