Comfort From Others

Posted by Christina Scovone on Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Hello My Friend/Guest,

Today is Wednesday June 17, 2009 and today we are continuing our studies on the book of Job. Please read Chapters 5-8 in your Bible or Click Here to read them online. http://www.allonlinebible.com/Job/5,1-8,last/5.html

Today's Message: Comfort From Others
As Christian's we are constantly being watched, but often it's not to be observed as an example to follow, but to be caught doing something that would prove us to be hypocrites. We need to be extra careful of how we comfort our fellow believers because Satan is the accuser of the brethren and will try anything to cause friction, especially between Christian's.

When Job's friends came to see him the best thing they did for him was to sit still and be silent for a week. In addition to his physical sufferings, his financial loss, the death of his children, and his wife's bitterness toward God, all three of his friends misjudged his integrity and continued to unmercifully attack him day after day. Eliphaz, his eldest friend spoke first. “Although affliction cometh not forth of the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground; Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward. I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause...........Lo this, we have searched it, so it is; hear it, and know thou it for thy good.” - Job 5:6-8, 27. Do you see how Eliphaz was trying to get Job to admit that he needed to confess his hidden sin? And on top of that he tried to tell him that he needed to hear this for his own good. I bet you have come across some people like that in your life? And the crazy thing is that we start to second guess ourselves into to thinking that we really did do something wrong. This is nothing, but the work of Satan himself, he will stop at nothing to get us to question whether or not we are living righteously for God.

After listening to lengthy accusations, Job replies in a pitiful plea for God to take him out of his misery. “But Job answered and said, Oh that my grief were throughly weighed, and my calamity laid in the balances together! For now it would be heavier than the sand of the sea: therefore my words are swallowed up. For the arrows of the Almighty are within me, the poison whereof drinketh up my spirit: the terrors of God do set themselves in array against me.............Oh that I might have my request; and that God would grant me the thing that I long for! Even that it would please God to destroy me; that he would let loose his hand, and cut me off!” - Job 6:1-4,8,9. Job was at lost for words, he felt as though God was piercing him with arrows that were drying up his spirit. All he could say was, God destroy me and cut me off. I imagine that it was pretty agonizing to suffer so much and instead of being comforted by his friends he was being accused of being a hypocrite. Yet, through it all, he remained faithful to God. We can not allow circumstances to hinder our relationship with God, of course we may have questions and wonder why we are going through these things, but as long as we remain faithful to Him we will overcome any situation. There was a time in my life when I felt the same way and prayed for God just to take me away from my misery, but instead He strengthened me and now I wake up every morning praising Him for the things He showed me through my pain.

Too often, friends like Eliphaz give hasty, harsh rebuke without sensing the intensity of the suffering. They jump to conclusions based on what they observe merely on the outside and rarely try to see beyond the circumstances. They are quick to believe that we must be doing something wrong instead of just being there to comfort us during our time of need. However, we can not let people destroy our faith in the Almighty, we may not always understand God's reason for affliction, but He will not allow us to suffer beyond what is best to accomplish His perfect will in our lives. All suffering is geared at strengthening our spiritual connection with God, it prepares us and grows us into perfect and upright Christian's. “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” - Romans 8:37-39. Jesus is our strength and as long as we have Him by our side nothing can separate us from God. Today, instead of filling discouraged, look to God and praise Him for what you are going through. The more you praise Him, the more you will receive the better blessings that can only come from a relationship with our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Today's Psalm: Psalm 34:1
“I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.”

Today's Prayer:
Dear God,
We don’t always know where our present steps will take us on life’s journey, but we do know they lead us to heaven as we walk with You. Our steps here may lead to cold, dark mountains or deep valleys, but ultimately we will rest where the steps of Jesus end at heaven’s throne. There we will no longer have questions about our future, for we know that we will spend eternity forever worshiping You as we give You glory, honor, praise, and thanksgiving. Give us peace and joy for our journey here below and heavenward anticipation for our future above. In Jesus' Name, I pray...........Amen.