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Job 19:1-27
Message No. 0636 | Twitter @GodandUs | www.wisdom-speaks.ca
Last week we looked at the extraordinary action David took in the face of a monumental disaster. His wife and children and the wives and children of his soldiers had been taken away in a raid, and after lots of crying and facing the possibility of his soldiers stoning him because of their grieves, the Bible says that David encouraged himself in the Lord. He did not start by demanding answers from God. He did not curse God. He did not shout at his soldiers. He did not cause this problem, but he did not claim innocence either. He was the leader and the buck stopped with him. When his security and the protection of his family failed, there was one thing that never failed David – his faith in the Lord his God.
David was not the only character in the Bible that we can point to, whose belief in God never wavered. There was Job also, whose whole world came crashing on him. He had done nothing wrong, but evil suddenly and progressively visited him. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that something was happening. This was not an accident. This was a flood of disasters, not only against him but also against his family. He lost his belongings, his health and his children. Job was not confused. The mere size of these disasters proved to him that God was not in the dark regarding what was happening.
Unfortunately for Job, no one around him, including his wife, understood what was happening, nor did they believe that Job was not responsible for what he was facing. They thought that he was being punished for his sins. His friends accused him many times, and at some point, his wife thought it would be better for him if he cursed God and died. In his own lamentations, Job clearly expected God to deliver him. He spoke as though he was putting the responsibility for his problems on God. Yet, Job knew that God would not wake up one morning and decide to inflict pain on His own children. This faith never wavered, and this was the Anchor that he held onto when he spoke in Job 19:25:
I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end, He will stand on the earth.
No one around him understood his insistence on standing in there with God. As he declared God’s power and ability to rescue him, his friends made jest of him, pointing to the obvious absence of God’s intervention so far.
No one ever prays to find himself or herself in Job’s situation. There are however instances when you may feel that you are alone. You have explained your situation, but it seems no one understands you. It seems as though you are speaking a different language than the one your friends, and perhaps your family, understands. It looks like people around you have ganged up against you. You are accused of things you did not do, and everyone seems to have concluded that you are guilty. You are so disappointed, and your spirit is so weighed down, your thoughts become anything but straight. At such situations, your only option is to hang in there and wait for the Lord to declare your innocence.
If you ever find yourself in this situation, you must know that it is the devil that is trying to break you. Like Job, and like David, the efficacy of your Anchor is being tested. It feels as though God is so slow and does not understand the situation you are in. alternative measures are being suggested to you, but none of these would glorify your Maker. In situations like these, it is time to encourage yourself in the Lord. It is time to declare ‘I know my Redeemer lives.’ It is time to say no to all the suggestions of the enemy. It is time to stand in prayers and declare that your spirit will not be dampened. It is time to stand with Prophet Habakkuk as he declared in chapter 3 verses 17 – 19:
Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.
Have a blessed week!
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PLEASE ACT NOW:
If you are yet to give your life to Christ, you do not have a covenant with God and His promises do not apply to you. To come under these promises, please surrender your life to Christ today, by praying this prayer:
Lord I know that I am a sinner and I am unable to save myself. I am sorry for my sins and I pray that you please forgive me. I am aware that Your Son Jesus died for my sins and I accept Him as my Lord and savior. I surrender my life unto you from this moment. Please take control of my entire being and help me to be obedient to your Word, going forward. Thank you, Lord, for hearing me. I have prayed in Jesus’ name. Amen.
If you prayed the foregoing prayer, you have just been born again. Please find a Bible believing church in your area and ask to see the pastor. Let him or her know that you have just given your life to Christ and s/he will guide you on next steps in your journey as a child of God. The Lord bless you!
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