(Shortest chapter in the Bible today, heh.)
The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?--Psalm 27:1.
read
Job 19:13-27
First, Job bemoans his condition. He's lost everything. The people who used to be his friends avoid him. Even his servants now look on him with disdain.
Then he says that God has come down hard on him, but do his friends have to come down on him, as well? He accuses his friends of abusing him.
Finally, though, even in this condition, he lifts up God. He declares that his Redeemer lives and shall once again stand on the earth. Even if he gets skinned alive, he is confident that he will see his God!
think
I think the phrase that stands out most to me begins (in this translation) with the word, "Still..." "Still, I know that God lives." In spite of all that has happened to him, Job remains faithful, just as God told Satan. If this is a wager between God and Satan, there is a clear winner. The Lord knew his servant, and knew that, no matter what happened to him, he would still praise his Creator. This is true, bottom line faith.
This attitude reverberates with my spirit, as well. No matter what happens to me, I will praise God. Even when I stray off the path of righteousness, I will still lift up my voice to him. I will never let Satan tell me that I am unworthy of worshiping God because I have sinned. Believe me, he tries to do that. But if that were true, then no one, anywhere, would ever be fit to worship, would they? Because none of us goes without sin.
pray
Can we be as open and transparent with God as Job has been? There's no reason that we shouldn't be. The big difference between talking to God and talking to humans is that God can take it. He is faithful and will listen to what we say without lashing back, as a human would. He will tell us the truth. He will always tell us the truth, but he will also always temper it with his love. Sometimes we humans forget the "love" part and are all about telling the truth. But sometimes the full, raw truth, with no love mixed in, is harmful. I guess the point I'm trying to make is that we can lash out at God without worrying about him lashing back at us, like a human would. He will patiently sit and take it until we are finished, then remind us who we are in him and what Christ has done for us and what our place is with him.
live
As I go through this day, I will remain aware of thoughts and feelings that arise as I interact with others, especially as I arrive at church and begin setting up for worship. I will try to be in conversation with God about these feelings as I go. This is important, because, inevitably, something doesn't go just the way I planned during the setup. This tends to get me off center.
Hopefully, at the end of this day, I will remember to look back and kind of "recap" the day. This is always a valuable time of reflection.
Grace and peace, and don't forget to worship the Father.