What's The Point?
Remember how Job's friends came to him and simply sat with him in silence? It was Job who broke that silence when he "cursed the day of his birth" in Chapter 3.
The fact is, there is a point at which anyone can simply throw in the towel. It's not about abandoning your faith ~ We just get thoroughly sick and tired of trying to put a good face on things, when there is nothing good about what we are facing! This is not sin; it is just plain honesty.
The true believer does not always rise from his knees full of encouragement and fresh hope. There are times when one may remain down in the dumps even after crying out to God. What He wants from us is not the observance of religious protocol, but just that we be real with Him. What He wants is our heart.
1 Peter 1:7,8 - These have come so that your faith - of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire - may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy
Do I love him? Genuinely? If I can say "yes", then I know I've been through something and saw Him faithful. My situation did not kill me, but made me very much alive! (Ephesians 2:4-5 ... "But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.")
Shortly after the loss of my first baby, I found myself entering into the Christmas season, and I had bought a special angel ornament as a remembrance of our child. It was in the early weeks of December that I found myself at home and putting the Christmas tree while having another one of my "discussions" with God...probably much like what Job had said. I cried (some more), and went full kilt into the anger stage of my grieving process. For it was when I had hung that angel ornament on the tree, and I stood there looking at it - mad because I felt like I shouldn't even have an angel ornament on there to begin with! I was so angry at that moment, I took hold of the center of that tree and just pushed it over as hard as I could. The tree - ornaments, lights, and all, went over in a heap.
At the end of Chapter 3, God doesn't say to Job, "Shame on you for venting your emotions!" God could handle Job's words, and He understood why he said what he said. In the same way, He understood my anger when I knocked over the Christmas tree. Unfortunately for Job, his words are on record for preachers to talk about for centuries. Mine are now here on the pages of this blog, read by only a handful. Even if you've had only private moments between you and God, He can handle it all, so let it all out. Tell Him all that's in your heart. You can never get over grief completely until you express it fully.
Mike Mason, The Gospel According To Job
Nancy Guthrie, Holding On To Hope
The fact is, there is a point at which anyone can simply throw in the towel. It's not about abandoning your faith ~ We just get thoroughly sick and tired of trying to put a good face on things, when there is nothing good about what we are facing! This is not sin; it is just plain honesty.
The true believer does not always rise from his knees full of encouragement and fresh hope. There are times when one may remain down in the dumps even after crying out to God. What He wants from us is not the observance of religious protocol, but just that we be real with Him. What He wants is our heart.
1 Peter 1:7,8 - These have come so that your faith - of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire - may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy
Do I love him? Genuinely? If I can say "yes", then I know I've been through something and saw Him faithful. My situation did not kill me, but made me very much alive! (Ephesians 2:4-5 ... "But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.")
Shortly after the loss of my first baby, I found myself entering into the Christmas season, and I had bought a special angel ornament as a remembrance of our child. It was in the early weeks of December that I found myself at home and putting the Christmas tree while having another one of my "discussions" with God...probably much like what Job had said. I cried (some more), and went full kilt into the anger stage of my grieving process. For it was when I had hung that angel ornament on the tree, and I stood there looking at it - mad because I felt like I shouldn't even have an angel ornament on there to begin with! I was so angry at that moment, I took hold of the center of that tree and just pushed it over as hard as I could. The tree - ornaments, lights, and all, went over in a heap.
At the end of Chapter 3, God doesn't say to Job, "Shame on you for venting your emotions!" God could handle Job's words, and He understood why he said what he said. In the same way, He understood my anger when I knocked over the Christmas tree. Unfortunately for Job, his words are on record for preachers to talk about for centuries. Mine are now here on the pages of this blog, read by only a handful. Even if you've had only private moments between you and God, He can handle it all, so let it all out. Tell Him all that's in your heart. You can never get over grief completely until you express it fully.
Mike Mason, The Gospel According To Job
Nancy Guthrie, Holding On To Hope
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