Job 1-9

I got behind since I didn't do yesterday's reading..So today, I chose to look at both sets of scriptures (yesterday and today). What we have is Job 1-9..

In Job 1-9, we see lots of trials..lots of suffering..for a reason Job does not know, but we can thankfully know the reasoning behind our own suffering and trials that we face for ourselves. Despite knowing the reason (being tested by the devil to see if we curse God..), it still makes trials very difficult and agonizing.. There is hope despite all we face, because of who our Creator is.

In the midst of great storm of trials, it is not easy to see the hope. We see this in today's reading in Job (chapters 1-9).

God says Job is righteous
The devil gets permission from God
Job is tested.

• First, he loses everything.
• Then, his health is tested.

The wisdom of his friends:

They left their home towns and mourned with Job. They stayed quiet for SEVEN whole days. I find that amazing. So often we are fixed on speaking, but there is such value in just sitting and being silent as a way to be with someone who is grieving.

The despair of Job is so great. He kept mentioning how he hated his life. He lost everything: animals, servants, all his children, and his wife too. He lived at a dump site scratching a score with broken pottery. That is a really big all time low.

Trials are difficult enough, but sometime friends try to help (like i think Job's friends did) that end up making things harder than they are. They kept blaming his extreme suffering on sin that he was hiding. They didn't really understand what to do or what Job was going through. I mean, it's hard to know.. especially when physical pain is lurking around and breaking our spirits..

Despite great trials when we feel our weakest, God is strengthening us spiritually..God will build us up and grow us so much, which I think and hope I will see as I read more of Job.