- Behold, blessed is the one whom God reproves; therefore despise not the discipline of the Almighty. For he wounds, but he binds up; he shatters, but his hands heal. Job 5:17-18 – When reading these verses I think of what happens when we work out. In the process of lifting weights you are tearing your muscles, purposely causing them damage. That sounds ridiculous if the outcome wasn’t that they would grow bigger and stronger as a result. And without that tearing the needed growth wouldn’t happen. God will allow us as well to go through tough seasons that do cause us to break sometimes. No, not because He’s careless or because He’s mad at us, but because He knows we’ll grow as a result. Grow in the ways we so desperately need to grow if we are to be able to handle the blessings in the next season. Not all struggles are given for this purpose, sometimes they truly are a result of our bad decisions. Yet in the ones that are clearly from God trust what these verse say. Wounds and shattering may come, but binding up and healing hands come too. If we trust God is able to heal, trust He’s able to break with a purpose as well. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1457
- For affliction does not come from the dust, nor does trouble sprout from the ground, but man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward. “As for me, I would seek God, and to God would I commit my cause…Job 5:6-8 – Job’s friend, seeing all the trouble that Job is facing, speaks into the situation. He shares what he personally has seen over the years and personally knows when it comes to the struggles men face. Affliction and hardships don’t just come up out of nothing, these sorts of things are on God’s radar and come from Him. A man has to deal with the sparks that fly off of the sinful choices that he is making. So the advice was to begin seeking after God again, give this sin and situation over to the Lord, for no one would be tasting this level of hardship for nothing. As we go throughout the story of Job, we must remember that Job’s situation is highly unique, and while many of the messages from the friends aren’t applicable to him, they do have some wisdom for us. Hardship doesn’t just come out of nowhere, God’s hands are in it. Maybe He is allowing some hard to be present to strengthen and refine us, or maybe He is allowing the hard to open our eyes to the presence of sin in our story. God’s allowance of hardship is never purposeless or just for His humor. Be willing to seek the Lord out in the seasons of hard to search out the purpose. Is it to refine? Is it to direct? Is it to get your attention? Is it to teach? Trust the Lord is in every season and be willing to approach the Lord in every season. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2630
Daily DEVO 