Challenging God

From the book of Job, chapter 9, Job responded to his friend, knowing all that he said was true.  But then he challenged him by asking how one can be declared innocent in the eyes of God?  He wanted to take God to court, but how could one question One who was so wise and mighty?

God can move mountains, command the sun to rise and fall, and even made all of the stars in their perfect positions.  His works are too marvelous to understand.

Job said that he can only plead for mercy.  Because he knows, in the eyes of the Lord, he is guilty of any wrongdoing.

It's interesting how Job contained himself when so much of his life was taken away from him.  His livelihood.  His children.  His belongings.  All gone--except his wife.  That, quite frankly, was the only thing he never lost.  But when the pain turned toward himself, he wanted his life erased from the earth.  The pain was too great for him to handle.

Getting nourishment from the Lord

In the book of Job, chapter 8, one of Job's friends named Bildad asked how long Job was going to act like the way he was, blustering about, feeling sorry for himself.  Bildad reminded Job that God does not twist justice, that he finds favor in those who live with integrity and pray to the Lord.

Bildad told him that they all started out with very little, but will end up with much because of their honor of God.

How long do plants live without nourishment?  True, they may flower and look good.  But deep down in their roots, if the ground is rocky and lack of moisture, they will not grow to their true potential.  In much the same way with people, those who worship the Lord will be nourished by Him.  God is just to those with integrity.

Find nourishment in reading God's Word, praying to Him daily.  Put your complete trust in the Lord.

The nature of fools, lazy people, and a true friend

When I read through the twenty-four verses in Proverbs, chapter 18, I felt like nearly every single verse was written for today's age, written exactly for what we've been dealing with these past four years--especially this year.

In the first verse, it tells us that unfriendly people care only about themselves, and lash out at common sense.  Then it goes on to say that fools have no interest in understanding, only wanting to air their own opinions.  Oh, so very true when you even glanced at the headlines thrown in our faces every single day these past four years.

In verse 9, it compares lazy people to those who cause great destruction, then by verse 10 the name of the Lord is a strong fortress--the godly run to Him and are safe.

There is so much wisdom in these verses.  In verse 20, wise words satisfy like a good meal.  My favorite is verse 22: "The man who finds a wife finds a treasure, and he receives favor from the Lord."

By the end, it spells out the true nature of a real friend: they stick closer than a brother.

Do you believe the Lord has your best interest in mind?

In the book of Job, chapters 6 and 7, Job continued on with how miserable he was.  In the second and third verse, from chapter 6, he compared his misery with weighing it against all of the sands of the sea and how his troubles would tip the scales in his direction.

He also asked if he had a right to complain and compared himself to other complaints people have, like with unsalted food or the tastelessness of an egg white.  He again wished for the Lord to end his life.  He had already endured months of agony and begged for it all to end.  He tossed and turned each night while his body was covered with pus and scabs.

By the end of chapter 7, he pleads with God, asking what he had done, why he was a target of all this misery.

Since October 2011, my late wife had endured loss of vision and a constant tiredness as she recovered from her stem cell transplant as a remedy from her acute myeloid leukemia.  Thankfully her leukemia never returned.  That much we were blessed with.  But the result of her treatment through graft vs. host was her loss of vision and other ailments.  She could no longer drive and whenever I went somewhere with her I guided her along with what I called the "prom walk" as she latched her arm through mine.

She did complain?  It was a rare event, but for the most part she knew life was in God's hands.  He had a plan and were blessed just to be alive.  Even as she breathed in her last, on January 16, 2020, she fought to stay alive but ultimately knew God had her life in His Hands.  He had her life's best interest in His Mind.

The same goes with Job.  If you look at the first chapter again, God knew what Job was like, how strong his faith was.  No matter what happens in our lives, we need to understand that the Lord has our best interest in mind.  We need to have faith in that and trust him fully.

Spiritual resistance

Psalm 76 is a psalm that completely honors God.  From the first verse to the last twelfth verse, this psalm honors God by pointing out that the Lord has broken all of the enemy's weapons, from their fiery arrows to their shields.

The Lord is more majestic than the most splendid mountains, and even by the mere breath of God, our enemies are destroyed.

No matter your circumstances, put your trust in the Lord, for He will stand up and judge those who would do evil toward you.

There is one verse that caused me pause.  Verse 10, in the New Living Translation Bible, states: "Human defiance only enhances your glory, for you use it as a weapon."  The Amplified version states: "For the wrath of man shall praise You; with a remnant of wrath You will clothe and arm Yourself."  The Christian Standard version is similar to the amplified.

The reason it caused me to pause is because of how strangely it was worded, and all other versions were not the same.  A note in one version said that the Hebrew translation was unclear.  When I prayed about its meaning, I immediately saw a vision of a muscle being worked.  In order for a muscle to grow, it must meet with resistance.  And the more the better.

That being said, those who defy the Lord will only be met an even stronger Holy Spirit, for our God is a Loving God.  He will not abandon us.  That is why so many people come to Christ in our darkest times.