Category: Job

Job 10:1 “I loathe my life; therefore I will give free rein to my complaint and speak out in the bitterness of my soul.”

The spring and summer of 2017 were a time of tremendous pain, stress, and loss. A heart attack, an unexpected, devastating death, an impulsive suicide attempt paired with grief and an utter lack of impulse control, leading to fear of a reprise. Interestingly, with all the heavy hits, the straw that broke the camel’s back was utterly insignificant. Through all the fear, grief, and turmoil, I never asked, “Why, God?” But an unexpected visit when the only thing I asked God for was the time, space, and privacy for the hubs and I to make a crucial decision without interference brought me to my knees.

Job 10:8 “Your hands shaped me and made me. Will You now turn and destroy me?”

I remember, vividly, walking the dog around the yard, yelling at God: “Seriously?!? With all I’ve had to endure, I asked for ONE thing, and You can’t even give me that?” You won’t be surprised to know I never got an answer, but what I did get was His presence through it all. None of it was easy. Some days I had to take it one breath, one step at a time. But I learned unequivocally that He is with me, even when life is grossly unfair, that His strength is sufficient, even when mine is gone.

Job 10:20 “Are not my few days almost over? Turn away from me so I can have a moment’s joy.” (NIV)

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You that I can be real and honest and broken with You. Thank You for Your steadfast presence and strength when the world feels like it is falling apart. Thank You for never turning away, even in my anger and fear, even when I lash out at You in my pain. Thank You for Your mercy and grace and Your deep love for me. Amen.

Job 10:20 “I have only a few days left, so leave me alone, so that I may have a moment of comfort….” (NLT)

Have a blessed day.

Job 9:15 “Though I were blameless, I could not answer Him; I could only plead with my Judge for mercy.”

I am thankful that I can read this chapter through the lens of Jesus. The Old Testament God and the new New Testament God are very different. One is angry and vengeful. The Other will leave the 99 to save the one. I am thankful that I CAN plead with my fiercely loving, grace-filled Judge for mercy and know that He hears and answers my prayers, even if I can’t yet perceive it.

Job 9:27-28 “If I say, ‘I will forget my complaint, I will change my expression and smile,’ I still dread all my sufferings, for I know you will not hold me innocent.”

As Job wrestlers with his inability to cleanse himself of his sinfulness, the verses in today’s reflection, for me, underscore the fact that I am not worthy, can never be worthy, and yet, mercifully, I am still washed clean by my Savior. There is much hope for me here.

Job 9:29 “Since I am already found guilty, why should I struggle in vain?”

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the hope that can only come from You. Thank You for Your Son, Jesus, who has the power, love, grace, and mercy to cleanse me of my sins, especially since I lack all power to do so on my own. Let Your praise always be on my lips. Draw me closer. Amen.

Job 9:30-31 “Even if I washed myself with soap and my hands with cleansing powder, you would plunge me into a slime pit so that even my clothes would detest me.”

Have a blessed day.

Job 8:3 “Does God pervert justice? Does the Almighty pervert what is right?”

Thus begins the speech, dare I say accusations, if Bildad. To paraphrase, “God is just. He rewards the good and punishes the wicked.” “Clearly you brought this on yourself” is definitely implied. It was common philosophy of the time, but utter rubbish, especially in light of the first chapter of Job, where God praises Job for his faithfulness and allows ha satan (the accuser) to test him. 

Job 8:20 “Surely God does not reject one who is blameless or strengthen the hands of evildoers.”

God doesn’t reward the good and punish the wicked. It might seem fair and just if life worked that way, but life is more complex. Humans are more nuanced. Perhaps this is the root of much of my struggle with the book of Job. God seems unfair. His actions seem unjust. But as I am reading Job this time, I just keep thinking that there is simply so much that I just don’t know, that I can’t understand. God is sovereign, and I am not. God is loving, to a degree that it is impossible for me to understand. I can trust Him.

Job 8:21 “He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.”

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the hope in verse 21. No matter the trials we face, no matter the cause, You are greater, more loving, more merciful. You will yet fill my mouth with laughter and my lips with shouts of joy. Help me to hold on to that hope, no matter what I face. Draw me closer. Amen.

Job 8:22 “Your enemies will be clothed in shame, and the tents of the wicked will be no more.”

Have a blessed day.

Job 4:6 “Should not your piety be your confidence and your blameless ways your hope?”

Again, as I struggle to make sense of Job, I do so by relating it to what I understand, which is not an entirely accurate way to approach Job, I am learning through additional study. However, Eliphaz, I sincerely believe, is trying to bring Job a measure of comfort. In doing so, he basically tells Job that surely he is being punished by God for some sin. Ouch.

Job 4:7 “Consider now: Who, being innocent, has ever perished? Where were the upright ever destroyed?”

But how many times have I, too, put my foot squarely in my mouth when trying to help or bring comfort? I am learning, instead, the beauty of presence. Just like no one could mitigate my grief with their words, I can’t either. And sometimes my words bring unintended pain. So I try to love through my presence. Like the friends did in the last chapter, I try to simply be there, so they know they are not alone.

Job 4:8 “As I have observed, those who plow evil and who sow trouble reap it.”

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the ability to come back to Your word again and again, to look and read and understand with new eyes. Help me, Lord, to comfort those who are grieving. Help me shine Your light in their darkness, reminding them that You are near and they are not alone. Draw me closer. Amen.

Job 4:9 “At the breath of God they perish; at the blast of His anger they are no more.”

Have a blessed day.

Job 3:23 Why is life given to a man whose way is hidden, whom God has hedged in?

Growing up in church, I was under the impression that we were not to question God. My adolescent brain interpreted that to mean that I was not to whine or complain to God about the trials in my life, which left me feeling like I had to put on a facade with God, a front the everything was a-ok, even if it felt like all was falling apart. As an adult facing the realities of life, which sometimes seem incredibly unfair and grossly troubling, I decided that I needed to be honest with God. Always. 

Job 3:24 For sighing has become my daily food; my groans pour out like water.

Repeatedly in the commentary for this chapter, Job’s words are called a poetic “outpouring of an honest, agonizing soul.” Truthfully, I don’t think God wants a sanitized relationship with His beloved children. He wants us to be able to come to Him, to share our troubles and agonies. He gave me these deep emotions. He’s certainly big enough to handle them. And by being honest with Him, I can begin to work through my transient feelings so that I can lean into His eternal truth.

Job 3:25 What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me. 

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for making me such an emotional being—it is only because I can know the heights of joy that I also am capable of feeling the depths of despair. Help me remember that my feelings are transitory, but that You are eternal, steadfast, and true. Help me to be open and honest with You always, so that I can move past my feelings and into Your truth. Draw me closer. Amen.

Job 3:26 I have no peace, no quietness; I have no rest, but only turmoil.

Have a blessed day.

Job 2:11 When Job’s three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamanite, heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him.

Job’s friends show up for him in a time of incredible loss and pain. It reminds me of the moment I learned my mother died very unexpectedly. I was at school and called my husband immediately, who was at the same school in his own classroom. I also called a dear friend, in her classroom, because saying it aloud helped me wrap my mind around the loss. 

Job 2:12 When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him; they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads.

I will forever be grateful I made that call. While my wheels were spinning trying to process the loss, she galvanized the forces. Almost instantly, I was surrounded by five dear friends and fellow teachers. I remember us standing in a circle holding hands, and them praying for me as I sobbed. It was such a beautiful, powerful act in the midst of my shattering grief. None of them could make it better, but their presence and prayers were invaluable in that moment.

Job 2:13a Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights….

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the presence of friends when our burdens are too heavy to shoulder alone. There is so much about the book of Job that I don’t understand, Lord. Walk with me through this study. Draw me closer to You. Amen.

Job 2:13b …No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was.

Have a blessed day.