Difficulties

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Job 40:7-8 Judging God

Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me: Would you indeed annul My judgement? Would you condemn Me that you may be justified? Job 40:7-8

People like to be in control and when they are not in control, they often judge those who are. They will sit back and talk about how they would do things better if they were in in control, speaking against the leaders. Many will ignore the rulings of a leader in order to do things their own way, thinking that their way is better in some way or another.

God continues to question Job and demands an answer. He asks if Job will annul His judgements or condemn Him to make himself look better.

It is very common for many people to quickly judge against God whenever they are going through some difficult situation in their lives. People often feel as if God made a major mistake or is completely against them, hating them. Many have completely walked away from God because of some disastrous situation in that occurred in their life.

Ever since the fall of Adam and Eve, there have been problems in the lives of every person that has walked on this planet. Problems occur due to sin. Satan is out to steal, kill and destroy in any way possible.

On the opposite side, God is working to bring life and build His people up to a greater life that will go into eternity. In order to build His people up, God will sometimes allow difficulties to occur in the life of the believer.

Instead of judging God and getting angry with His decisions, believers must be willing to accept His ways and learn from them. Drawing closer to God and growing to be more like Jesus should be the focus of the believer in times of difficulty, rather than condemning God.

God is working in your life to build you up and make you more like Jesus. In order to do that, there will be times that He will allow harsh problems to take place in your life.

You are not wiser than God, so do not judge His methods of building you up. Trust His ways and lean on Him for strength and understanding as you grow more like Jesus each and every day and through many situations.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will accept God’s judgements in your life; that you will accept God’s methods of building you up; that you grow more like Jesus each day; and that you will see God’s hand of love in your life in difficult times.

Picture by Migle Siauciulyte under Unsplash

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Job 29:1-2 Missing The Present

Job further continued his discourse, and said: “Oh, that I were as in the months past, as in the days when God watched over me;” Job 29:1-2

Any time that a person is going through a very difficult time, that person often looks back on life to a time when there were not so many difficulties. They want to go back to a time when there everything was going well. People often struggle in the present when everything appears to be going wrong. Very seldom can a person see the bigger picture going on in spite of the troubles.

Job continues talking and wishes to go back to the days when God was watching over him and there were no problems. He does not see that God is currently watching over him.

Going through major problems is life is difficult for anyone. The world has nothing to look forward to and has no hope of things getting better. All they can do is look back on previous good times and hope that things will get better.

Believers, on the other hand, have a hope of a grand and wonderful future that will extend into eternity. Yet, many believers tend to look at things like the world and Job, they look back at times when things were good. They often feel as though God took His eyes off of them and is leaving them on their own.

No matter how great the difficulty is, God is still right there with the believer. He allows difficulties in one’s life to build them up and prove their faith and trust in Him. The difficulties are a witness to unbelievers and a strength to other believers that God is with them and brings them through everything in the right way and right timing.

There will come days in your life in which everything that can go wrong will go wrong just like Job had. Instead of getting angry with God and turning away from Him or desiring to go back to what was before, put your trust in God.

Seek God’s direction as to how to grow closer to Him and more like Jesus from the troubles and difficulties. Find out how God can use it to be a witness of His love, provision and protection, despite the problems. Live for God in the moment. See what God has for you right now.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will trust God during difficult times; that you will draw closer to God in difficulties; that God will use you to be His witness to others; and that God will reveal His purpose in events in your life.

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Job 18:21 Not Knowing God

Surely such are the dwellings of the wicked, and this is the place of him who does not know God. Job 18:21

Every person on the earth has a physical place or location in which they dwell. Some are very simple and may be outdoors, while others are large and fancy homes or buildings. There is also another dwelling in which people may be in which it is not physical, but is of the spiritual realm. This realm has an effect upon their mind, spirit and emotional being. It is what brings about joy and fear, peace and disturbance.

Bildad describes how the wicked are punished and go through difficulties for their sins. He says that these places are the places in which the wicked or those who do not know God dwell.

Looking on the surface of most people, they appear to be doing fair. They are content on the surface with their lifestyle and living and doing as they want. Yet, underneath the surface many are living in fear, depression, pain, suffering, alone and much more. Rejecting God, they are willing to do whatever it takes to bring temporary satisfaction and joy, only to bring on more problems in life.

While the majority of the world do not really know about God, there are many who have been told about God, who still reject Him. They have turned away from God, not really knowing His great love that He has for them.

Anyone who does not know God will never know true peace in the heart, joy despite problems in life, forgiveness when having done something wrong, or the hope of something beyond this life.

Believers have all these things and much more, because they know God and have a relationship with Him. Everyone needs to make God their dwelling place.

You must ask yourself where your relationship with God is. It is one thing to know about God, but do you know God and His character?

Do not ignore God’s commands or the leading of the Holy Spirit in your life. Living for self and the world will only bring temporary satisfaction and then loss of everything in the end. Not knowing Him will bring on a judgement that you do not want.

God will provide all that you need and more when you put your focus upon Him and dwell with Him. Knowing God will give you true life.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will know God’s character and love for you; that you will dwell in God’s plans for your life; that you will know the joy of living for God; and that you will know the peace in dwelling in God’s presence.

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Job 17:15 Is Depression Setting In?

Where then is my hope? As for my hope, who can see it? Job 17:15

The percentage of people who are going through depression is very high. Many people are taking anti-depressant drugs to help them deal with their depression. The levels of depression that people are going through are usually due to extreme levels of trouble in their lives and that they have lost all hope. Most do not see a way out of whatever difficult situation that they are currently in.

While Job was going through extreme difficulties, he began to lose hope. He could no longer see it and asked where it was and if anyone could see it.

Every person has times in which one goes through a difficult time. Often that time of difficulty is relatively short or not very extreme. During these short difficulties most people still have hope that it will end soon.

However, there are times when it appears that one thing goes wrong right after another for an extended period of time. Some of those difficulties directly show that there will be no end of it, or it is not very likely to end in this life. It is during this time that people lose hope. Losing all hope will always lead to depression and a desire to give up and quit.

Without God in one’s life, there is no real hope available. The world can offer drugs to help cope with it, but in the end, there is still the trouble, and nothing left.

Believers will often get caught up in depression during hard times. Like Job, many will lose their hope and only see the problems.

Instead of focusing on the problems, believers need to focus on the promises of God. Despite the difficulties, God is still with the believer and He will save the believer. In the end the believer has hope of eternal life in Jesus.

There will be times in which you will go through extreme difficult situations. Do not allow the difficulties to overwhelm you and cause you to lose the hope you have been given. Do not become depressed and turn to the ways of the world to deal with it.

During these times put your focus upon God. Jesus forgave your sins and is saving you, not to allow you to die with no hope, but so that you may have the hope of eternal life.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will know the hope you have in Jesus; that you will trust God’s promises to you; that lean on God for strength during difficult times; and that God will remove any depression in your life and fill you with the joy of His salvation.

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Job 14:1-2 Trouble Filled Short Time

Man who is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble. He comes forth like a flower and fades away; he flees like a shadow and does not continue. Job 14:1-2

Young people often feel that life on earth will be long one. They are often carefree and able to run around with no problems. As people get older, they are often faced with more and more difficulties. Life tends to feel like it is nothing but problems one right after the other and then they die and it appears as though it is over.

As Job is going through extreme suffering, he complains that man only lives a few days which are full of trouble. Man is like a flower the rises than fades away and disappears.

There are very few people who do not feel that life, as a whole, is filled with lots of trouble. Those difficulties are different for each person, but they are there. The world sees life as full of trouble and then one dies and it is over.

Since the fall of Adam and Eve, there has been trouble in this world. It is filled with sin and the devil does not want anyone to succeed and will bring on trouble for all.

Jesus even promised His disciples that there would be trouble in their lives. That trouble continues to this day in the lives of every believer.

Yet, the believer has a hope that the world does not have nor understand and Job did not yet know. With Jesus there is forgiveness of sin and the promise of eternal life with no more troubles or pain. They realize that life on this earth is but a short amount of time, even if one hundred years. At the point of death on this earth, there is eternal life free of any more trouble.

You have struggles and difficulties in your life. Some are great ones, while others are relatively minor. Regardless of how great they are put your focus, not upon those troubles, but upon God and what Jesus has done for you and will do for you.

God will never leave you nor forsake you. He will give you strength to make it from day to day in the troubles of life. All of these troubles are temporary and soon you will step into eternity with Jesus and never have any more trouble.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will know God’s presence in your life; that you will seek God’s strength in times of trouble; and that you will know the hope you have in Jesus Christ for an eternal and pain free life.