Power of Mispercptions

Job 10-13

Many things caught my attention in these chapters.

Job 10:4-5  Do you have eyes of flesh? Do you see as a mortal sees?
5 Are your days like those of a mortal or your years like those of a strong man,

These are Job's words to God. In the midst of a trial listening to the words of our prayers can be very enlightening. I know when I haven't know what to pray the Holy Spirit has given me words. These words in the midst of a trial are a great reminder that as Christians what we are experiencing as we see it may look very differently through the lens of God and always comes to serve a greater purpose and draw us closer.

Job 10:12-18  You gave me life and showed me kindness, and in your providence watched over my spirit. “But this is what you concealed in your heart, and I know that this was in your mind: If I sinned, you would be watching me and would not let my offense go unpunished. If I am guilty—woe to me!

Even if I am innocent, I cannot lift my head, for I am full of shame and drowned in my affliction. If I hold my head high, you stalk me like a lion and again display your awesome power against me. You bring new witnesses against me   and increase your anger toward me; your forces come against me wave upon wave. “Why then did you bring me out of the womb?

Job 13:3 But I desire to speak to the Almighty and to argue my case with God.

I love how in Chapter 1 God described Job as faithful and sees Job as His child. It talked about in earlier Chapters Job prayed, he prayed about everything. This prayer of Job's is such a personal and impassioned conversation. I wonder if his prayer's were always so relational or if this trial changed that? Either way my prayers are more like conversations at times, it's nice to know I'm not alone.

Job 12:12-13 Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding? “To God belong wisdom and power;  counsel and understanding are his.

I have run into staunch, older persons in the church while having a youth, my daughter, who spoke to them from a place of wisdom. They did not appreciate her speaking "out of turn" as they called it nor my "lack of parenting." Oh how I wish I would have had these passages at that moment. Wisdom is gained from a life lived. Wisdom comes from God Who pours it out on His people however He chooses. Age and wisdom do not go hand in hand.

Job 13:8b-9 Will you argue the case for God? Would it turn out well if he examined you? Could you deceive him as you might deceive a mortal?

This made me think both about what these friends of Job were saying as well as our everyday lives. We can say what we want to humans and be quite convincing. Truth to some humans is more about perception and what you can make them believe. But I would caution about traveling this slippery, slope! Perfecting this manipulation will be surely be time wasted, there will be no manipulated or deceiving God when speaking to Him.

Job 13:20-24 “Only grant me these two things, God, and then I will not hide from you: Withdraw your hand far from me, and stop frightening me with your terrors. Then summon me and I will answer, or let me speak, and you reply to me. How many wrongs and sins have I committed? Show me my offense and my sin. Why do you hide your face and consider me your enemy?

Finally I found these of interest as something to think about when going through a trial. Job is asking God to withdraw His hand from him and to stop frightening him. Assuming the problems are caused or coming from God is completely mistaken both for Job and for us. It's a natural, human response given that make assumptions from what we see or experience but there are things we know about and of God. Changing this perspective would definitely change our prayers through the trial.

Job is bold, very bold to make the request "summon me, let me speak, show me my offense." If God were to show us ALL of our offenses I fear we would each be speechless in that moment. And in that last verse Job is assuming God is doing these things to him and "hiding" Himself or considering Job His enemy. Choosing the perspective, remembering and knowing that God is always with us and walking through each trial with us brings not only comfort and strength but reshapes the way we pray.

Fruit of a Strong Faith Foundation

Job 6-9

Job 6:24-26, 28b-30  "Confront me with the truth and I'll shut up, show me where I've gone off the track. Honest words never hurt anyone, but what's the point of all this pious bluster? You pretend to tell me what's wrong with me but treat my words of anguish as so much hot air." "Do you think I'd lie to your face? Think it over - no double-talk! Think carefully - my integrity is on the line! Can you detect anything false in what I say? Don't you trust me to discern good from evil?"

Prior to these verses Job's first friend had been speaking suggesting that all of this is happening to Job because of his own actions... pride, confidence in himself over God, etc.

Two things on this whole scenario.

One: Job circumstances and response provide an incredible example of how important it is to be completely rooted in your faith, in your relationship with Christ.

When troubles come your way and are overwhelming people, friends, family may voice their own opinion of your circumstances and those views may be very far from what God is doing in your life. Being strong in your relationship with Christ provides the wisdom of words to respond and strength to continue to persevere.

Two: One day you may find yourself to be the friend or family of someone who is going through a trial in life. Be slow to give advice to those who are hurting. They often need compassion more than they need advice.

Satan, God and Friends Matter

Job 1-5

Job 1:6-12 One day the angels[a] came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan[b] also came with them. The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”

Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.”

Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”

“Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.”

The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.”

When Satan replies with "from roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it" I started thinking about this action and myself. Bored, roaming, looking for something to do, no-good mischief leads to a place where my eyes are not on God. We know Satan's eyes were not on God but now we know what he was doing with his time them and continues to do today. 

Next it is God who brings up Job. God "knows" Job, just as He knows each of us. He didn't randomly offer Job because He had blessed him with so much that it would be a challenge for Satan, but rather because He knew Job would remain in Him and would withstand the trial.

Satan's argument against why Job is such a faithful man and how easily Job will tumble if all is lost is met with God's confident statement "very well then." Oh so telling of God's confident knowledge and yet Satan goes on his way.

Finally, God states "but on the man himself do not lay a finger." Later when God and Satan have another exchange in Ch 2:6 God states "but you must spare his life." God wants Job to live.... for two reasons I think. One so Satan won't have any excuses. Job will have walked all the way through the trial and succeeded. Two so that God could bless Job for persevering through the trial and Job would be able to experience the blessing and grow in faith.

A wonderful message to hold onto as we experience trials in this world: Satan is bored and roaming the earth looking for something to do. God allows our trials to grow and strengthen our faith but in order to persevere we must remain in Him, cling to Him and praise Him.

A word of caution in closing, be cautious in who you hang out with during such trials. Their perspective of what's happening could give way to doubt and whole host of other things. Prayerfully listen to the words of others.

What's in a Name; And God's Promise

Genesis 8-11

I have two things that stood out in today's reading.

ONE

After the great flood, Noah and his family return to land and repopulate. The ending of these chapters is spent listing the descendants of Noah and his sons. One name stood out to me.

Gn 10:8-9  Cush fathered Nimrod, he was first on the earth to be a mighty man. He was a mighty hunter before the LORD. Therefore it said, "Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the LORD."

Nimrod's skills sound impressive and powerful. Since people's names in that time reflected meaning you knew a great deal about Nimrod without even witnessing him in action. AMAZING and beautiful.

When I read just his name before finishing the sentence I thought "YIKES" that's not a good name. Today Nimrod has socially come to mean 'inadequate.' How my misinformation and today's times painted such a different picture. I will admit that not all names from biblical times had meanings that carried a good connotation, but good or bad the name relayed information. I wish names still meant something.

TWO

Gn 9:12,14,15b  And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: When I bring clouds over the earth the bow is seen in the clouds. My covenant is the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.

This is God's promise to Noah, every living creature that is with Noah, and ME TOO (all future generations.) Way back in Genesis, after the flood, God includes me in His promise! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. It's not just a promise at that moment to Noah, it really is all encompassing.
 

You Are Never Too Old

Genesis 4-7

Gn 5:30-31  Lamech lived after he fathered Noah 595 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Lamech were 777 years, and he died.

Gn 5:32 After Noah was 500 years old, Noah fathered Shem, Ham and Japheth.

Gn 6:14a [God instructed Noah] Make yourself an ark....

Gn 7:6 Noah was six hundred years old when the flood waters came upon the earth.

Gn 7:24 And the waters prevailed on the earth 150 days.

Gn 6:3 Then the LORD said, "My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh; his days shall be 120 years."

To still be fathering children at 595 years old makes my head spin. At 52 I don't "feel" like I am at a place in life to do justice to such a task, much less live another 182 years following!

Noah's calling is even more ambitious! Fathering three at 500 years old!?!?!? That alone for me would be enough. But sometime in those next 100 years God called him to build an ark, the likes of which had never been seen! And then for the land-dwelling Noah, God called him to a sea-fairing life with family and livestock for 150 days!!!

Though God has deemed that my life shall not exceed 120 years and it is unknown how many years I have on this earth, one thing is for sure..... as long as there is breath in me God can use me. It is imperative to abide in Him for His purpose in my life to be fulfilled.

The Importance of Language and Listening Well

Genesis 1-3

Gn 2:16-17 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”

Gn 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

I didn't catch what God said in 16-17 when I first read it. When I read Gn 3:1 it made me curious, what were God's exact words?

When I looked I realized God said "you are free...." We are free! Are there boundaries? Limits? Yes, absolutely but in Christ we are free. God opens His sentence reiterating this freedom. 

We are only a hostage to sin. Sinful choices always have consequences. There is no escaping these consequences not for believer or non-believer.

For the believer remembering the freedom that comes through Christ and who Christ is leads us to choose more wisely and easily. Not seeing with the view of what we "can't have" but what is good for us.

However if I didn't have the words to look back upon in 16-17 there would be room for Satan to cast doubt. When God speaks or teaches me something I need to make sure I am listening, paying close attention and learning so that there will be no room for doubt when temptation comes my way and tries to twist what God has spoken.