Thursday Devotional - All-Knowing God versus Lamenting Job (7/11/24)

 I had a shooting stomach pain yesterday for about 30 minutes that was debilitating. As my stomach negatively reacted, I was reminded that I could still praise God for who He is while also asking for help and relief. It was hard not to start by calling out for help and stating the same thing over and over. It was helpful to remember His attributes of being All-knowing, able to use everything for His purposes, etc.

 

My temporary suffering was nothing compared to what Job experienced for days and maybe even weeks. Yet, as we learned a few weeks ago, he didn’t sin in what he said. He never cursed God, like Satan desired. He did curse his birth.

Job 3:1-4, 11-13, 20-21, 24-26      After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. ² He said:

³ “May the day of my birth perish,
    and the night that said, ‘A boy is conceived!’
⁴ That day—may it turn to darkness;
    may God above not care about it;
    may no light shine on it.

¹¹ “Why did I not perish at birth,
    and die as I came from the womb?
¹² Why were there knees to receive me
    and breasts that I might be nursed?
¹³ For now I would be lying down in peace;
    I would be asleep and at rest

²⁰ “Why is light given to those in misery,
    and life to the bitter of soul,
²¹ to those who long for death that does not come,
    who search for it more than for hidden treasure,

²⁴ For sighing has become my daily food;
    my groans pour out like water.
²⁵ What I feared has come upon me;
    what I dreaded has happened to me.
²⁶ I have no peace, no quietness;
    I have no rest, but only turmoil.”

It sounds as though there was no relief for Job, even in sleep. His pleas and laments are understandable. He wished for death, but he didn’t take things into his own hands. As he said in chapter 2 verse 10: “Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?”

The next time you and I face a painful or difficult situation, let’s remember God is always praiseworthy. He can also handle our questions and respectful laments. In the midst of it all, we can submit to His all-knowing care and timing, as Job did! 

Thurs Devo - Jesus who was and was and is and is to come

We were talking at dinner one night this week about how long ago Jesus came to earth as a baby. It’s hard to explain to a 5 and 3 year old how long 2000 years is!!! James voluntarily added that then Jesus became a kid, then a teenager, then an adult and now in Heaven with God! Yes!

Another new concept we talked about was that Jesus existed with God in the beginning before He came to earth as a baby. His incarnation is another hard thing to explain. We’ve worked this week on memorizing Genesis 1:1 and so we also talked through the truths from the following verses.

Genesis 1:1-2, 26 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. ² Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters… ²⁶ Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

John 1:1-3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

Matthew 1:21-23   She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” ²² All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ²³ “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

A baby didn’t grow up and save you and me. God Himself came to earth to save us! Jesus was in Heaven in the beginning, Jesus was born as a baby, Jesus is in Heaven now and Jesus will come again. As the kids and I sang last night “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel!” We can rejoice, knowing Jesus will come again!

Alice