Job, God and me

For the past few years, I have awakened and spoke with God virtually every day, just a brief, "Mornin', Lord. Thanks for seeing me through the night."  I am not sure if it can be called praying, worshiping, or praising but either way the communication is there.  No, He's not spoken to me in a thunderous voice and there have been no flashes of lightening but just the same, sometimes I feel as if He is everywhere in the room.

My next step is brewing up a cup of coffee, sitting in my chair and spending a few minutes reading in His word and contemplating what I've just read.

Sounds pretty holy, doesn't it?  Well, if that's what I wanted, then that's my reward. That would be fine as long as the winds and turbulence of the world isn't distracting me.  Will my little daily devotions walk me through the gauntlet of challenges ahead?

I recall the story of Job.  God said there was none like him but Satan argued that it Job's faith and love for Him was because he'd been blessed with wealth, family and friends and that if those things were gone,  Job wouldn't be so lovey-dovey with the Lord then.  What would happen if all those things were suddenly removed?

The challenge was on so the Lord gave Satan permission to afflict Job with all sorts of problems but under the condition that he could not take his life.  As the story heats up, messengers come with the news that a great storm came, blew down the dwelling with all his children in it and no one survived.  Also, there as a fireball that came down and consumed all his livestock and all was gone.  Job, ripped his garments, pile ashes on his head and cried out, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there; the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord."

It's one thing to lose possessions.  You can deal with that by adjusting yourself to a new normal but when he became afflicted with sores on his body, things now had gone from economics to a very personal physical way.  His own wife just even said to him, "Job, just curse God and die!", yet he did not sin against God.  Now, the last of his family had now turned on him.  What about his friends?

Along came three of his friends and a younger guy who sat with him a while.  Each of them reviled him and strongly hinted that he was not the man of God he pretended to be. Job refuted each of them, sending them into a tizzy,  and still proclaimed the holiness and his everlasting faith him Him.  Job still had not sinned.

Eventually, God restored Job's wealth and family and Job lived a ripe old age.

In a way, if we isolate ourselves from the world, perhaps we can wrap up in a spiritual cocoon and ignore those things of the world and be oblivious to it all, but that's not how most of us are built.  We have to continually deal with both physical happenings as well as emotional challenges such the afflictions of those near to us as well as our own.  How then do we continually overcome and still hold fast to Him who made us?

There are some things to avoid in wrapping ourselves in that spiritual cocoon. Both in Christianity and religions of the world, some would cloister themselves as monks high on a mountain or lock themselves in a man-made retreat of brick and mortar devoting themselves to becoming deeper with God.  But, that's not how He created us.  He designed us to procreate, to live and to worship with one another and to enjoy the life he gave us.  Sure, He called special people out to be His voice on earth for the purpose of vocalizing his will but they too, ate, drank and breathed the air which he created for us.

I've had a few trials but none like that of Job.  Right now, there is a calmness to my sea of life but storms will come and I pray that my faith will not sink in the high waves.   He put me here for a purpose as he did for all.  Our job is to walk in his ways, love one another, forgive one another, and have compassion.  Compassion on those near and dear to you, compassion on the stranger, and yes, compassion on those who seemingly despise you.

All these things I can do while enjoying that second cup of coffee, watching my children and grandchildren accomplish things with the talents he gave them, while knowing that it was God, who gave us all these things.