I actually read this one Tues. 9/4/07 but it's the devotion from the day before. By the time I read this, I knew that Jeff and Jeremy were missing still. And the day had already been hard to concentrate on. I kept thinking how on earth can a family do this again? How can Joyce possibly get through this? So I opened my Bible and this is what I read.
Hanging on to Hope
"Sometimes faith is just hanging on in the dark." These words, spoken by a wise woman, were offered as solace to a suffering friend. Sometimes things just don't make sense. Sometimes we simply can't see beyond the pain. Sometimes we can't even managed to utter a prayer.
In those dark nights - when life seems to suffocate us with sorrow - faith compels us to hang on.
We've seen that Job, who suffered great losses, felt that way. Job 31 records the final words of Job's defense before God after his three friends filled the air with their empty explanations of why Job had suffered so greatly.
Think about it. We know the conversation God had with Satan at the beginning of this account, yet we are still appalled by the tragic events of Job's life. Job had no idea Satan was tempting him because God was allowing his faith to be tested. No wonder Job reeled from his losses and grasped for answers. We can feel the pain and desperation in his voice when he cried, "Oh, that I had someone to hear me!" But throughout his trial, throughout his test, Job knew the Almighty was listening.
Have you ever felt that way? Perhaps your heart's cry surfaced in a winter seaons of your life - cold, dark, and endless. Did your winter only worsen when you received heartless indictments from your "friends" rather than warm words of understanding and consolation? You may be in that barren season even now, with no one left to offer you comfort or relief. Allow Job's words to comfort you as a fellow traveler on your journey: "Let the Almighty answer me."
Job recounted his actions based on his heart for God, although he never knew what had happened in heaven to instigate his suffering. While we may learn God's reasons later (sometimes only in eternity), for now all that is required is for us to "hang on in the dark" until God's light illumines the way again.
Hanging on to Hope
"Sometimes faith is just hanging on in the dark." These words, spoken by a wise woman, were offered as solace to a suffering friend. Sometimes things just don't make sense. Sometimes we simply can't see beyond the pain. Sometimes we can't even managed to utter a prayer.
In those dark nights - when life seems to suffocate us with sorrow - faith compels us to hang on.
We've seen that Job, who suffered great losses, felt that way. Job 31 records the final words of Job's defense before God after his three friends filled the air with their empty explanations of why Job had suffered so greatly.
Think about it. We know the conversation God had with Satan at the beginning of this account, yet we are still appalled by the tragic events of Job's life. Job had no idea Satan was tempting him because God was allowing his faith to be tested. No wonder Job reeled from his losses and grasped for answers. We can feel the pain and desperation in his voice when he cried, "Oh, that I had someone to hear me!" But throughout his trial, throughout his test, Job knew the Almighty was listening.
Have you ever felt that way? Perhaps your heart's cry surfaced in a winter seaons of your life - cold, dark, and endless. Did your winter only worsen when you received heartless indictments from your "friends" rather than warm words of understanding and consolation? You may be in that barren season even now, with no one left to offer you comfort or relief. Allow Job's words to comfort you as a fellow traveler on your journey: "Let the Almighty answer me."
Job recounted his actions based on his heart for God, although he never knew what had happened in heaven to instigate his suffering. While we may learn God's reasons later (sometimes only in eternity), for now all that is required is for us to "hang on in the dark" until God's light illumines the way again.
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