Respect Age...But Never Stop Learning

Job 32:6-10 -   So Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite said: "I am young in years, and you are old; that is why I was fearful, not daring to tell you what I know.  I thought, 'Age should speak; advanced years should teach wisdom.'  But it is the spirit in a man, the breath of the Almighty, that gives him understanding.  It is not only the old who are wise, not only the aged who understand what is right.  "Therefore I say: Listen to me; I too will tell you what I know.

 

There were four friends with Job now…a young man named Elihu had joined the group…but till now had remained silent…out of respect of the age of the elders he was in the midst of. He must have been sitting listening for some time…for he heard everything the 3 men had said to Job. He took advantage of the silence between them to speak. The stalemate between Job and his elders clearly upsetting him enough to try a hand at speaking an answer for Job.

 

I discovered two truths embedded in this chapter.  Stalemates never have winners…and the oldest people in the room are not always the wisest.  Job had gotten close to the point of sinning with his arrogance…and the friend’s let their arrogance in thinking they knew all the answers...bring them to point of giving up. The silence between them was going to solve nothing. 

 

Elihu spoke a great truth when he said that wisdom comes from the spirit of God inside us…breathing into us understanding. God sends us the help of the Holy Spirit exactly when we need it…not a moment before…or a moment after. God reveals to us the things we need to know…and leads us to the exact scripture that will give us strength for the struggle we are facing.  It might be that moment when you just open your Bible randomly to a passage…or you look down at the ap installed on your phone to see the perfect Bible verse…or a friend calls to say…” I had you on my mind and feel compelled to share this scripture I just read.”

 

I have gained countless blessed advice from many of my older friends and family. They do have more experience....and most have even spent more time with God.  But sometimes the older you are the more narrow minded you become. You think the lesson God used to teach you is a ‘one size fits all’ lesson…and that is not always the case. Sometimes as we age we become set in our ways and forget that God is still in the business of creating new things….allowing the Holy Spirit to breath out new understanding that was meant for now…not the past.

 

It is a reminder to me as I age to never think I know everything…or presuppose that the thought God is planting in my spirit is less important than the ones around me. The thought he breathed into my spirit at that moment was meant for some purpose…and I need to search my heart for who or what situation he needs me to share it. I might have to wait my turn …like Elihu…but when the opportunity presents itself…I must be ready to speak the words he has given my spirit. I must always keep an open mind and heart…for God is not finished me yet.

 

And maybe there is a third lesson…just for me….for I was just reminded by the spirit that I have a serious problem with interrupting conversation. God may be reminding me...no I am sure he is speaking clearly…that I need to work on my listening skills…and be more appropriate in the timing of what he places in my heart to share. Just because the thought is there…doesn’t meant I have to blurt it out quickly.  He might just have had a deeper clarification…if I had listened a bit longer…and waited to speak. 

 

Thank you God for reminding me that there is a fine line between assuming we are right...and keeping an open heart and ear to listen for the newest wisdom you might share with us. Help me Lord to find the strength to learn to listen and wait...to allow you to refine the thought you are placing in my heart to share and clarify the truth in your word for others. Thank you for teaching this old dog new tricks...that will help her to have a more abundant life with you…and be able to minister to others in a more effective way. Amen.

Review Your Life...With God's Eyes

Job 31:24-25, 29, and 33-34 "Have I put my trust in money or felt secure because of my gold?  Does my happiness depend on my wealth and all that I own?

 "Have I ever rejoiced when my enemies came to ruin or become excited when harm came their way?

“Have I tried to hide my sins as people normally do, hiding my guilt in a closet?  Have I feared the crowd and its contempt, so that I refused to acknowledge my sin and would not go outside?

 

Beginning with lust …job begins to review the laws that God gave them to live a righteous life. One by one he asked himself the important question… “Have I?”… and then dismissed them as not the reason for his suffering. Job longed for just one person to back him up and believe his innocence. Oh how he longed for God to come and judge him…so his friends and all who mocked his insistence on virtue… could see that he was suffering for no reason God had already ordained punishment.

 

Lust…letting money and wealth become our master….rejoicing when the guilty are punished…and hiding our sins from God like Adam did in the garden…..they will destroy our relationship with God.  We all need to take some time to reflect on these four things that can quickly overcome our lives and hearts…and block us from hearing what God wants to do to make us stronger Christians.

 

Truth is we have all probably lusted after something in our lifetime and we need to take some time to confess it and ask God to forgive us.  And even if we can’t recall a single incident of lust…or greed…or celebration over an enemy’s punishment…or a sin we hid from God…we need to stop and thank him for helping us live a pure life like Job had.  And if we have already confessed those sins…we need to thank God for cleansing it from our lives and helping us to overcome the temptations to let it come back in.

 

Satan will continue to hover over us like a hungry lion…waiting for a chance to make us so weak we forget God can overcome any obstacle in our life. God is bigger that any problem…he won that right when he died on the cross for our sins…and rose to sit with his father in Heaven.  God can forgive any sin...no matter how much we have let it destroy us.  God can forgive the sins we commit in our hearts…against others…and against him.

 

Father…thank you for reminding me that I need to stop and review my life for hidden sin that might separate me from you and give satan power to control me for a time.  Help me to be honest with myself and let you help me uncover the smallest sins that I have never realized might be a hindrance to my Christian growth. Break me and empty me of all the world’s influence over my heart…and fill me up with your love and power.  Fill me so full that satan can’t find any room for his lies and tricks.  Amen.  

Praise Him Through Your Storm

Job 30:1 and24-26 -  "But now they mock me, men younger than I, whose fathers I would have disdained to put with my sheep dogs.

 "Surely no one lays a hand on a broken man when he cries for help in his distress.  Have I not wept for those in trouble? Has not my soul grieved for the poor?  Yet when I hoped for good, evil came; when I looked for light, then came darkness.

 

Job continues to speak from the depths of his tired and hurting heart.  He starts the next section with the famous word ‘but’….leaving the safety and comfort of his memories to explore the reality of the condescension around him. The community that once respected and came to him for help were mocking him and increasing the pain in his heart. The physical pain he was suffering from… was compounded by the hurtful comments they were all whispering…close enough for him to hear.

 

He cried out to God once more…asking him why he did not answer….why he would not come to him in his sorrow and pain. He has reached the limit of his pain…his skin literally black and peeling from the disease he suffered from….fever burning every bone from deep within. Depression surrounded him…beginning to take hold of his heart. His sleepless nights just gave him more time to reflect on why …he thought…God was punishing him.

 

Depression is a horrible tool of satan. He uses it to wrap a thick cloud of confusion and doubt around our brain that creeps into our soul and plants seeds of hate and bitterness in our soul. Its tendrils spread quickly and encompass the good God has planted in our hearts.  It tricks us into thinking we have no hope…like Job we see the end of our life flash before us…and we think in our confusion that we have accomplished nothing good…God completely absent from the picture.

 

Job had access to the answer…he had probably read the words of Solomon in Proverbs 17:22 "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones." BUT…he had let satan wrap his heart with the tendrils of depression and was not using his own advice from Chapter one to praise God through his storm. He had said in Job 1:21… “And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.”  He was dangerously close to letting the long list of what was wrong with his life in this short moment…keep him from remembering the long list of blessings God had provided throughout his whole life.

 

I will be honest with you…it is very hard to thank God and praise him for the pain in your life.  BUT…it is very empowering when you do.  The words somehow put your pain back in perspective with the rest of the world…and take the focus off of yourself.  The words… “thank you God for the short …wonderful...irreplaceable love that you allowed Mitchell to bring to my life” still bring tears of sadness and longing for the great moments we shared.  BUT the tears become a tool of God to ease my pain…and give it purpose. The weakness the sadness brings…provides a new door for God to come in and show his power to overcome and work miracles with my pain. The focus is off of me…and depression flees as satan sees that God is more important than what I lost.

 

Too bad Job didn’t have Casting Crowns great song… “I Will Praise You In The Storm.”  It was inspired by a family who lost the young 10 year old Erin Edwards to cancer. The testimonies of her mom…and stories of hope and faith all the way up to the last breath Erin took….helped the band pen the great words to a song that I think of many times throughout the day.  It gives me strength to stay connected to God’s hope…instead of plummet into satan’s pity parties of depression. Listen to it at least once today….and gain strength as the words sink into your soul.  http://youtu.be/MUWbmtbzDno

 

 

Father…I thank you for the tears of sadness that come when I thank you for the sweet memories of Mitchell…and the great love we shared. Thank you for giving me the strength and opportunities to praise you in my storm so you could use it to help me realize that you are in control…and the focus of my life should be helping you spread the truth of the gospel. Thank you for never leaving my side…but inviting me straight into your arms for comfort and peace. Help me father to always stop and search for you when I feel satan creep close with his lies and tricks….help me to hold tight to your hand and let your strength replace the weaknesses that I discover in my human existence. Amen.

Let The Lessons From The Past Give You Purpose For The Present

Job 29:1-5 -  Job continued his discourse:  "How I long for the months gone by, for the days when God watched over me,  when his lamp shone upon my head and by his light I walked through darkness!  Oh, for the days when I was in my prime, when God's intimate friendship blessed my house,  when the Almighty was still with me and my children were around me.

 

Job poured out his heart just a few minutes longer. He remembers fondly the past moments when his life was full of good things. He recounts the full feeling he had when God had blessed him with wealth and family and great purpose. He longs for the days when he was respected…and loved…and enjoyed the blessings of the Earth God granted to him.

 

My Life Application Bible said he was walking a fine line between bragging and recounting the good deeds he had done to answer the charges against him. He came dangerously close to letting pride be his comforter in this moment.  His recounting of God’s gifts and blessings in his life could have easily become a list of self-earned accomplishments.

 

I don’t believe Job was bragging in this moment…I think he was just homesick for God to be evident in his life. He missed God’s gentle touch on his home and body and belongings…and was trying to recount the good old days to find some form of comfort.  Job was using his sweet memories to keep some relationship going with God…who was standing just out of Job’s reach.

 

His sweet words of memory…his longing for the good old days was helping him to stay connected to God. He needed to feel God be part of his life again…to ease his pain and suffering…he needed to have purpose in his life once again. Job desperately wanted to feel the presence of God again….he wanted to know that God still had a reason for him to live.

 

We all search for God’s will and purpose in our life.  We need to know that God has a purpose for the pain he has allowed in our life…that the storm he has led us through has some usefulness to others. We want to find a reason in our heart to thank God for the storm…so we can begin to move past the pain it caused in our life.

 

Job doesn’t know it yet…but he is very close to the end of his storm.  God is just a breath away…watching like a proud father as Job pours out love instead of hate.  I am pretty sure that satan is steaming right now…knowing that he lost this bet he made with God. Job IS going to be okay…and satan IS going to realize that nothing he can do will break Job’s spirit….and separate him for God’s love.

It reminds me to only recount the sweet memories of the blessings God only granted for short moments of my life…so I can properly thank him for them.  It reminds me to not live in the past…but use the lessons God taught me from the past…. to help others through the storms that are like mine were. I am reminded to thank God daily for the gift he gave me in Mitchell for four short months…so he can use my pain to help others who have lost the love of their life. 

 

Father...thank you for the gifts you give…and take away in your perfect timing. Thank you for the purpose you create in our hearts from the immense pain you hold our hand through.  Help me to always remember the good times as a pathway to finding peace for the present…so I can always thank you for the lessons they have taught me about your perfect love. Amen.

Where Do You Find Wisdom?

Job 28:20-21 and  28 -  Whence then cometh wisdom?  and where is the place of understanding?   Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls of the air.  

And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom;  and to depart from evil is understanding.  

 

Job continues pouring out his heart to his friends.  He reviews how man was given the knowledge to do many things. Man can mine precious stones out of the ground and use them to provide income and beauty in their surroundings. Man can search for food…harvest it….and use it to nourish ourselves. But man’s knowledge is limited…many things hidden from our understanding. 

 

It is amazing to me to read about how in Job’s great pain… he realized that no man could fully understand God…or his reasons for allowing bad things to happen to good people. He let his pain lead him right up in God’s lap…so he could rest there till the suffering was over.  He climbed as close to God as God would allow…and held tight till God either gave him answers…or took his life away.

 

Job knew that true wisdom did not begin with man…but with a holy fear of God that leads to a turning away from all evil.  Job is telling us that the starting point of true wisdom is a healthy fear and awe of God’s majesty and power…that brings our heart to a humbleness of spirit. It is only when we begin to respect God fully for who he is… that we begin to unlock the true hidden treasures of the relationship we can have with God.

 

The strongest relationship we can build with God begins with an attitude of prayer and a healthy dose of his word on a daily basis. God uses his word to unlock the wisdom he wants all of us to have…and help us to see his perspective on the world around us. God uses his word to provide comfort and healing to our battered souls….or enrich our understanding of the things around us.

 

Father…I thank you for reminding me that I can understand nothing about life that you do not reveal to me. Help me to completely surrender my human need to control the world around me to you…and study the Bible more…so you can reveal more of your true wisdom to my soul.  Help me to remain in an attitude of prayer…and seek you in all that happens throughout my day…so that you can help me understand the steps that will please you the most. Amen.

Confess Your Sins For A Clear Conscious

Job 27:1-5-  And Job continued his discourse:  "As surely as God lives, who has denied me justice, the Almighty, who has made me taste bitterness of soul,  as long as I have life within me, the breath of God in my nostrils,  my lips will not speak wickedness, and my tongue will utter no deceit.  I will never admit you are in the right; till I die, I will not deny my integrity.

 

Job…in spite of his confusion and pain from illness and loss… cries out to his friends that he will hold fast to God….no matter what. Job knew that he had offered the sacrifices God had required…and held on to the knowledge that God had redeemed him…and counted him among the righteous.  Job decided to tell his friends to stop their accusations…or they would be his enemies in the future.

 

Job’s clear conscious …despite his great pain…could only have come from a dose of God’s peace ….that surpasses any human’s ability to understand.  It says in Philippians 4:6-7… “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

 

Our clear conscious must be accompanied by a dose of God’s forgiveness as well. Job knew that he had regularly taken the required sacrifices to the Temple of God…and asked God to forgive him for any sin he might have committed.  He even offered sacrifices for his family as well.  The blood of those animals he offered to God washed clean his heart each time he went.

 

Our conscious can’t just be washed clean with an animal sacrifice anymore.  We have to accept the sacrifice of blood that Jesus paid on the cross….and confess our sins to him like it says in 1 John 1:8-9… “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

 

Father…thank you for this story of faith and strength that reminds me to search my heart for sin each day.   Help me to wash all the sin from my heart…and have a clear conscious like Job…by asking you to forgive the many sins I have committed.  Replace the confessed sins with your peace that helps me to survive the ups and downs of Earthly life.  Show me how to stand strong like Job…sure of the love you have placed in my heart…till I take my last breath. Amen.

Listen For God's Whisper

Job 26:10-14 -   He marks out the horizon on the face of the waters for a boundary between light and darkness.  The pillars of the heavens quake, aghast at his rebuke.  By his power he churned up the sea; by his wisdom he cut Rahab to pieces.  By his breath the skies became fair; his hand pierced the gliding serpent.  And these are but the outer fringe of his works; how faint the whisper we hear of him! Who then can understand the thunder of his power?"

 

Job begins his reply to Bildad with some of the best sarcasm I have heard in a while. He has said all that he knows to say…so he ices the cake with a bit of disdain for the way they have treated him.  Then he launches into one of the most beautiful and comprehensive descriptions of God’s majesty I have ever read. Job longed for that breath of God to just blow his anguish away….to make his own dark skies clear to a sunny sky….to whisper in his ear that everything would be alright.

 

Job must have read the story of Elijah…and knew that when God really wanted to speak to us…he does not yell…or show his intentions in the strong winds or thunder.  God draws us super close to his side…then whispers to us to come to him…like he did Elijah in 1 Kings 19. Like Samuel in 1 Samuel 3…he awakens us from a deep sleep with his still small voice…and calls us to do some humble work for him.

 

Job reminds us to draw close to God so we can hear his soft still voice…the whisper that will lead us to the answers we have waited on God to give us in his time. Job reminds us that everything is made more beautiful when we allow the sweet breath of God to transform us into a humble servant…ready to listen and do anything he asks.

 

Job reminds us that we simply don’t have a clue how great God truly is. We see him in a mirror…dimly….as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13:12…. “ Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” But some day…if we hold on to our faith like Job…we will behold him in all his glory.

 

Father…thank you for the faith and insight of Job…that helps me understand that I have only begun to scratch the surface of what you have planned for me. Help me to draw so close to you that I can hear your whispers of direction.  Breath on me the Holy Spirit’s power and protection so that I can do the work you sent me to do. Amen.