As I write this morning I am in Belize preparing to return to the states. We came to the shore line yesterday and this morning I am watching the sun rise over beautiful palm trees and listening to the ocean chorus as waves rush in. Birds are singing their own refrain and the wind gently blows. God’s words to Job ring in my ears as He asks job where were you when I laid the earth’s foundations. So many of the verses found a home in my heart this morning but none more than Psalm 19:1 ” The heavens declare the glory of God and the sky above portrays His handiwork. ” Yes and amen!

Even after all of the hard things Job had to endure and even the sadness for all he had lost he still knew truth deep down.
19:25 “For I know that my Redeemer lives,
and at the last he will stand upon the earth.
26And after my skin has been thus destroyed,
yet in my flesh I shall see God,”
When we have no answer for all that is going on in our lives we can hold on to these truths just as Job did. Paul put it another way, “To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.” Saint of God, we can know these things. It is why Jesus came. He redeemed man kind from our sinful state and made a way for us to be right with God. The only way to know eternal life is to believe that Jesus is God’s Son, receive the forgiveness He offers by confessing our sin and then walking His way instead of what our flesh pulls us to. No it is not easy and you will fail at times, but the redemptive power of the cross offers forgiveness and restoration once for all. Hold to these truths in good times and bad and live in the assurance of good yet to come.

Friendly fire… That is what it is called in battle when for whatever reason someone on the same side wounds or kills a fellow comrade. On the battle field sometimes it happens but no matter when it happens it is always sad. That is the way I feel about Job and his friends. The only problem with them is that the friends mean to “help” Job and their words wound not help. Job says it this way 16:“I have heard many such things;
miserable comforters are you all.
3Shall windy words have an end?
How often do we as fellow believers wound each other with our words. I won’t go into a lengthy explanation but just say, if your words have wounded whether you meant to or not, it is important to go back and say I am sorry. I loved what one of the ladies said this weekend. She said don’t try to explain why you said it or what might have even caused your tone to be short. Just say, I am sorry, would you forgive me. Let the incident drop them and don’t allow Satan to use it to carve even deeper divides in your friendship, your church family or your work relationship. Our days are short. Don’t allow the enemy to have even a toe whole when it comes to relationships. When he finds a small crevice he will press that divide until it severs relationships.

12:12Wisdom is with the aged,
and understanding in length of days.
13 “With God are wisdom and might;
he has counsel and understanding.
One thing to rejoice in as we age is that there is indeed Wisdom with the aged and understanding n the length of days. I am so grateful for the experiences I have had that have taught me what to do and what not to do, why, and the consequences of life lived on my own. By myself I can really mess things up, but when I lean on the Lord, His wisdom, counsel and understanding life goes better and smoother. Even when difficult days come it is still well with me and for me. Thankful that I can rely on the wisdom of the Creator.

Also one of my favorite verses or maybe just the most accurate is in this reading. Job 13:5 ” If you would just shut up and let that be your wisdom.” Some years ago I had shirts printed up that just said Job 13:5. Everyone wondered what spiritual encouragement came from Job 13:5. When I told them they would roll laughing. I would tell them some days that was for me and some days for others. 🙂

Oh how I identify with Job in these verses.
6:1Then Job answered and said:
2“Oh that my vexation were weighed,
and all my calamity laid in the balances!
3For then it would be heavier than the sand of the sea;
therefore my words have been rash.
As I write this morning I am sitting at the beach. I see the sand some packed and wet, other dry and loose but all when placed into a container very heavy. When difficult days come into all of our lives we may feel weighed down by our troubles. I can’t imagine how Job felt loosing all of his children, most of his many possessions, even his health. Then to be surrounded by friends who did not know how to comfort and their words were like arrows and a spouse that just encouraged him to curse God. His heart must have been weighed down with more than he could even put into words. Therefore his words were unwise yet very real to where he was. I am so thankful that when my heart has been heavy over the years God did not abandon me when my words and thoughts were not right. I find it amusing that Job said his words were rash. He and his friends had been sitting there for days in silence and now his words were coming. Real talk, my words would have come MUCH sooner and they would probably have been much worse. Yet Job was transparent in his hurt.
Oh Father, thank you for Your compassion towards us when we don’t know what to do with our hurt. Thank you that Your Holy Spirit intercedes and puts words to what we don’t even know how to voice. Thank you most of all that You take our burden and our heavy hearts and by Your grace you bring healing. It may take days, months or even years, but in your love you do bring healing and restoration.

1:7 The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” Have you ever thought about the relationship between God and Satan? Job allows us to peak into their relationship. Here are a few things I observed from what I read.
* Satan is in submission to God
* He has to ask permission before touching one of God’s children
* Satan is in no way as powerful as God
* God is in authority over all created things including Satan
* Satan is allowed to sift God’s people by God’s permission
* God never leaves His children in Satan’s power. He still limits him.
We will spend several days studying Job and all that happened to him. He was handed some of the most sever sifting I have ever seen or heard of. Yet he remained faithful to God. He did complain some lol but even then God says that he was faithful and God used his testimony even to us thousands of years later to show that no matter how difficult life can get God is still in control and He will take care of you. Yes Job went through much, but in the end God restored much of what he had and even gave him more. Some might question, well what about his children though. They were not given back. You are right and it was a devastating loss, but God is eternal and when Job got to heaven I wonder if he did not have his children there along with the children God blessed him with after. No matter how difficult it gets, God is still in control and He will sustain and carry you.

45:5 “God sent me before you to preserve life” and again in 45:7 “And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. 8So it was not you who sent me here, but God.” Joseph’s brothers just knew that the reason they were experiencing so much adversity is because of what they had done to their brother. Joseph shows great wisdom as he says to them God sent me here. Are there times in your life that God has used bad things that have been done to you to move you to the place that He really wanted you to be? God can and does use even the bad people do in our lives to bring about good. God’s ultimate plan is for our good and His glory. Because of Joseph’s suffering he was able to not only save the people of Egypt, but his own country men. Because of divine intervention the nation of Israel would go on. So many times when evil comes upon us we have a dooms day spirit or just a defeated attitude, but God wants us to know that “ALL THINGS work together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28. Today if you find yourself in a tough spot, relax and trust the Master. It may take a while to see the good, but it is on its way.

If Joseph did not learn anything else during his incarceration he learned humility. His pride was one of the factors that caused friction with his brothers.
41:15 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” 16Joseph answered Pharaoh, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.”
Fear may have caused him to say it that way, but his actions also back up the fact that Joseph had been humbled. After giving the interpretation Joseph was not assuming he would be the one put in charge. When he was, Joseph carried his humility and wisdom into what he was doing. When Joseph saw his brothers he did test them, but again what God had allowed him to experience prevented him from striking out in anger and exacting revenge. Instead with humility and love he chose a path that would eventually result in repairing the broken relationship. He did not just roll over and he did not ignore wrongs committed, but he did immediately look to and for a path of restoration. What a great reminder to us. Winning is when the relationship is restored not when we “show them”. Again humility breaks down a lot of sin and pride and allows healing. How are you doing in the area of humility. I know I could use more prayer for God to strengthen that area of my life. 🙂

Scandalous is a word I would use to describe our reading today. It is almost like a biblical soap opera with characters being unfaithful in their marriages, main characters being killed off and trying to figure out who the baby’s father is. For those looking for cliff hangers Joseph’s story is sure to meet your need. My take away today was how easy it is to judge others for their sinful ways when mine can be just as bad. Judah was all about judging Tamar and making a spectacle of her when he was the one who did not keep his word and was sexually active. She only had sex with him to keep her family line alive. When it was revealed that he was the babies’ daddy he sang a different tune. Father, please help me to keep my mouth shut and my mind on my own business instead of trying to “help” others with their sin. Help me to live pure and clean in my thoughts, actions, and attitudes. Help me to have a heart of mercy and kindness to all. Help me be twice as eager to forgive as to judge.

So much deception and anger in our reading today. Jacob’s sons chose deception as they struck in revenge on the people of Shechem. They were rightfully angry because their sister had been abused by one of the sons of the city’s leader’s. The problem is they used circumsion and a promise to intermarry with them to weaken the people then attacked them and killed all of the men and took the women and children captive. Then you read how the brothers planned evil against Joseph their brother and eventually sold him into slavery and told their father he died. Some might question why God would use this family. I don’t have all of the answers but I do know what Satan meant for evil God used for good and we will see that a little clearer in days to come. I love 37:36 “Meanwhile the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard.” It reminds me that though evil abounded in Joseph’s family, God was putting together a plan. In our families though life may not be going like you wanted or even thought it would go, hold on because God has a plan.