VERSE: Job 26:14–Behold, these are the fringes of His ways; and how faint a word we hear of Him! But His mighty thunder, who can understand! TRUTH: God is truly amazing! In this chapter, Job shares some of the amazing doings of God and then states in this verse that these are but the fringe of God, the very edge of His limitless potential. God is so big and so powerful, yet He is deeply concerned about the smallest detail of our life. We cannot fathom the love and care that He has for us. Today be reminded that the God who crafted and holds together the very molecules that…

VERSE: Job 25:4–How then can a man be just with God? Or how can he be clean who is born of a woman? TRUTH: Ultimately, this is the question we all must ask. Why? Because the answer to the question is simply that we can’t. On our own, we can never be made right with God. That is why Jesus died and that is why He rose again. As the perfect sacrifice who paid our debt for the wrongs we’ve done, He became the only answer to this question. How can we be made right with God? Only through Jesus Christ. RESPONSE: Lord, I praise You and thank You for…

VERSE: Job 24:25–Now if it is not so, who can prove me a liar, and make my speech worthless. TRUTH: Life is unfair and Job has just given lots of examples how. He challenges his friends, who have said that only bad things happen to bad people and good things happen to good people, to prove that he’s wrong. The fact is, it often seems that evil people prosper and the good are downtrodden. Unless we focus on the overall that God sees and the fact that He will eventually settle everything, this world can seem very unfair. Are we focusing on the day to day, or do we trust…

VERSE: Job 23:10–But He knows the way I take; when He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold. TRUTH: Job responds to the criticisms of his friends with this statement. Job knows that God knows all things. Job trusts that at the end of the day, when God has fully tried him and he is finally pulled from the furnace of trials, he will emerge as gold. God provides us with trials in order to refine us and help us become more like Him. Will we emerge like pure gold from our difficulties: more Christ-like and less dependant on anything else besides Jesus? RESPONSE: Lord, I want to…

VERSE: Job 22:23–If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored; if you remove unrighteousness far from your tent. TRUTH: Job’s friend Eliphaz is speaking again. His words do have some truth to them, but again they do not apply to Job or his situation. When we are with people who are going through difficult times, simply telling them statements without really understanding their situation is not helpful. We need to be patient and listen to what they say, then trust God to give us the words that they need to hear.RESPONSE: Lord, I pray that while I am with people who are hurting that I may give them…

VERSE: Job 21:7–“Why do the wicked still live, continue on, also become very powerful?” TRUTH: This question, asked by Job, has been echoed by countless others throughout the ages. In essence, why isn’t life fair? Yet we think too simplistically and expect the consequences of evil actions to be immediate. God has said that all have sinned and fallen short of His glory. The answer for why the wicked still live: “God is not slow about His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wanting any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9. RESPONSE: Lord, You greatly desire all to come…

VERSE: Job 20:4a-5–“Do you know this from of old…that the triumphing of the wicked is short and the joy of the godless momentary?” TRUTH: This is an interesting statement. If we look at it the way Job’s friend Zophar intended it, then it is false. However, it we look at it from God’s perspective, then it is very true. While here on earth, those who are evil can seem to linger for a lifetime, not “short” compared to the 80 years of life. However, what is that 80 years compared to eternity? When we keep our perspective on the vastness of God, we recognize that our time on earth is just a minuscule…

VERSE: Job 19:25–As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last He will take His stand on the earth. TRUTH: Job has these words of hope and confidence for his friends. He knows that his Redeemer lives and is concerned about him. He places his hope and his faith on this truth. He clings to it when everything around him seems to tell him differently. He knows that the Redeemer lives and will, at the last, take His rightful place on the earth and all will be set right. RESPONSE: Father, I know that You live. I will hold on to this truth no matter what.…

VERSE: Job 18:21–“Surely such are the dwellings of the wicked, and this is the place of him who does not know God.” TRUTH: In this chapter, Job’s friend Bildad describes brokenness and destruction, then states that this is what the wicked experience. While it’s true that ultimately when God judges all people, those without Jesus Christ will experience this. However, until that time, sometimes it can appear that the wicked prosper. We must not place our trust in what we see, or get focused on the apparent “unfairness” of life, but must trust in the One who is over all. RESPONSE: Lord, sometimes it doesn’t seem like those who do…

VERSE: Job 17:15–Where now is my hope? An who regards my hope? TRUTH: We all need hope to continue through the difficulties we encounter. Hope is more than just a warm happy feeling, it is a confident assurance; a knowledge that what God has said, He will do. Are we sure that God will act according to His promises, even when we can’t possibly see how? Do we hope in Him alone? RESPONSE: Lord, You are my hope. You are my all. In You I will place my trust. I will act confidently according to Your promises, even when I do not see Your answers.