HE KNOWS ME! His anger burns against me; he counts me among his enemies. —Job 19:11 Have pity on me, my friends, have pity, for the hand of God has struck me. —Job 19:21 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.  Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book…

TEST THE WORDS SPOKEN! Does not the ear test words as the tongue tastes food? —Job 12:11             The healthy tongue discerns such a wide variety of tastes—sweet and sour, bitter and pleasant, salty and bland.  Blindfolded, the healthy tongue can identify (as I have read… and experienced) — Sweet: Sweet is a pleasurable taste that indicates the presence of sugar. Salt: The salt receptor is the most basic taste receptor in the mouth. Sour: Your tongue can detect the sour acidity of citrus fruits, such as lemons and oranges. Bitter: This is the most delicate of the five flavors. Umami: This flavor is sometimes described as savory or meaty. …

UNDERSTANDING THE MYSTERIES OF GOD He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted. —Job 9:10 Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?  They are higher than the heavens above—what can you do?  They are deeper than the depths below—what can you know?  Their measure is longer than the earth and wider than the sea. —Job 11:7-9             Our Lord God Almighty continually does wonders every hour of every day.  We know so little; we know so few.  But that does not diminish the glory of all He does. Can you fathom the mysteries of God? No, unless He…

IN PAIN… I’LL SEEK TO FOCUS ON HIS FAITHFULNESS “What strength do I have, that I should still hope? What prospects, that I should be patient?  Do I have the strength of stone?  Is my flesh bronze?  Do I have any power to help myself, now that success has been driven from me?” —Job 6:11-13 Remember, O God, that my life is but a breath; my eyes will never see happiness again. —Job 7:7             What emotional swings Job was going through.  He did not have any strength.  He did not have any hopes.  He did not see any prospects ahead of him.  He was losing his patience.  He didn’t…

OUR LORD IS TO BE PRAISED— IN GOOD AND BAD TIMES 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.” —Job 1:8-11 At this, Job got up and…

HUMBLY SEEK THE LORD! Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands.  Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the Lord’s anger. —Zephaniah 2:3             The humble of the land— Are to seek the Lord Are to do what He commands Are to seek righteousness Are to seek humility This is the responsibility of all those who know our Lord Jesus.  When the Lord judges a nation, He is able to shelter those who know Him.  So even when hard times come upon our land, we can trust Him in any situation.  We are safe in His hands.  How…

LOOK BEYOND YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES AND SEE WHAT HE IS DOING IN THE WORLD! How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen?  Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save?  Why do you make me look at injustice?  Why do you tolerate wrongdoing?  Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds.  Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails.  The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted.  “Look at the nations and watch— and be utterly amazed.  For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were…

The Lord is slow to anger but great in power; the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished. —Nahum 1:3             The human race ought to be thankful that our Lord is “slow to anger.”  Look at all He puts up with in the human race— “You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me” (Matthew 17:17).  Indeed, even though He is slow to anger, how much longer will He put up with us?             He is “great in power.”  For sure, He is all powerful.  “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible…

BE FAITHFULLY IMPACTFUL The faithful have been swept from the land; not one upright person remains.  Everyone lies in wait to shed blood; they hunt each other with nets.  Both hands are skilled in doing evil; the ruler demands gifts, the judge accepts bribes, the powerful dictate what they desire— they all conspire together.  The best of them is like a brier, the most upright worse than a thorn hedge. —Micah 7:2-4             Beware when “The faithful have been swept from the land.”  What will the land look like if this happens?  We are told that— People lie in wait to shed blood People hunt each other with nets People’s…

SAVED TO SERVE! If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand?  But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you. —Psalm 130:3-4             God’s forgiveness enables us to serve Him— “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast. 10For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” —Ephesians 2:8-10             If our record of sins were kept, we would have not hope at all.  But when…