April 4, 2024

How to be satisfied with God when you have no friends

Job 19

Suzanne Silva
Thursday's Devo

April 4, 2024

Thursday's Devo

April 4, 2024

Thursday's Devo

April 4, 2024

Thursday's Devo

April 4, 2024

Big Book Idea

God is at work even when we can't see it.

Key Verse | Job 19:25

For I know that my Redeemer lives,
and at the last he will stand upon the earth.

Job 19

Job Replies: My Redeemer Lives

1 Then Job answered and said:

2  “How long will you torment me
    and break me in pieces with words?
3  These ten times you have cast reproach upon me;
    are you not ashamed to wrong me?
4  And even if it be true that I have erred,
    my error remains with myself.
5  If indeed you magnify yourselves against me
    and make my disgrace an argument against me,
6  know then that God has put me in the wrong
    and closed his net about me.
7  Behold, I cry out, ‘Violence!’ but I am not answered;
    I call for help, but there is no justice.
8  He has walled up my way, so that I cannot pass,
    and he has set darkness upon my paths.
9  He has stripped from me my glory
    and taken the crown from my head.
10  He breaks me down on every side, and I am gone,
    and my hope has he pulled up like a tree.
11  He has kindled his wrath against me
    and counts me as his adversary.
12  His troops come on together;
    they have cast up their siege ramp 1 19:12 Hebrew their way against me
    and encamp around my tent.

13  He has put my brothers far from me,
    and those who knew me are wholly estranged from me.
14  My relatives have failed me,
    my close friends have forgotten me.
15  The guests in my house and my maidservants count me as a stranger;
    I have become a foreigner in their eyes.
16  I call to my servant, but he gives me no answer;
    I must plead with him with my mouth for mercy.
17  My breath is strange to my wife,
    and I am a stench to the children of my own mother.
18  Even young children despise me;
    when I rise they talk against me.
19  All my intimate friends abhor me,
    and those whom I loved have turned against me.
20  My bones stick to my skin and to my flesh,
    and I have escaped by the skin of my teeth.
21  Have mercy on me, have mercy on me, O you my friends,
    for the hand of God has touched me!
22  Why do you, like God, pursue me?
    Why are you not satisfied with my flesh?

23  Oh that my words were written!
    Oh that they were inscribed in a book!
24  Oh that with an iron pen and lead
    they were engraved in the rock forever!
25  For I know that my Redeemer lives,
    and at the last he will stand upon the earth. 2 19:25 Hebrew dust
26  And after my skin has been thus destroyed,
    yet in 3 19:26 Or without my flesh I shall see God,
27  whom I shall see for myself,
    and my eyes shall behold, and not another.
    My heart faints within me!
28  If you say, ‘How we will pursue him!’
    and, ‘The root of the matter is found in him,’ 4 19:28 Many Hebrew manuscripts in me
29  be afraid of the sword,
    for wrath brings the punishment of the sword,
    that you may know there is a judgment.”

Footnotes

[1] 19:12 Hebrew their way
[2] 19:25 Hebrew dust
[3] 19:26 Or without
[4] 19:28 Many Hebrew manuscripts in me
Table of Contents
Introduction to Job

Introduction to Job

Timeline

Author and Date

The unknown Israelite author of this book presents Job as a person living in Uz (see note on 1:1). Job’s godliness (1:1) matches the ideals of Israelite wisdom literature. He clearly knows Yahweh (1:21). The events of the book seem to be set in the times of the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob).

Theological Themes

The book of Job concerns itself with the question of faith in a sovereign God. Can God be trusted? Is he good and just in his rule of the world? The book shows that the reasons for human suffering often remain a secret to human beings.

In the book of Job, God seems both too close and too far away. On the one hand, Job complains that God is watching him every moment so that he cannot even swallow his spit (7:19). On the other hand, Job finds God elusive (9:11). Though God is greatly concerned about humans, he does not always answer their most agonizing questions.

At the same time, Job’s friends offer no real help. They come to “comfort” him (2:11), but Job ends up declaring them “miserable comforters” who would console him “with empty nothings” (21:34). These friends represent an oversimplified view of faith. They think that all human troubles are divine punishments for wrongdoing. Their “comfort” consists largely of urging Job to identify his sin and repent of it. These friends are negative examples of how to comfort those who are suffering.

The book illustrates that one does not need to fully understand God’s will in order to be faithful while suffering. Those who suffer need not be afraid to express to God their confusion and questions.

Purpose

The book of Job was written to those who struggle with the question of how God can be good when the world is filled with suffering.

The author does not provide a formal defense of God’s justice. Rather, as Job’s friends offer their inadequate answers, the author shows how their reasoning fails. Then, in chs. 38–41, the Lord speaks in his own defense, bringing Job to fuller understanding (ch. 42).

Even during his suffering and confusion, before God finally speaks, Job can triumphantly declare, “I know that my Redeemer lives” (19:25).

Outline

  1. Prologue: Job’s Character and the Circumstances of His Test (1:1–2:13)
  2. Dialogue: Job, His Suffering, and His Standing before God (3:1–42:6)
    1. Job: despair for the day of his birth (3:1–26)
    2. The friends and Job: can Job be right before God? (4:1–25:6)
      1. First cycle (4:1–14:22)
      2. Second cycle (15:1–21:34)
      3. Third cycle (22:1–25:6)
    3. Job: the power of God, place of wisdom, and path of integrity (26:1–31:40)
    4. Elihu: suffering as a discipline (32:1–37:24)
    5. Challenge: the Lord answers Job (38:1–42:6)
  3. Epilogue: The Vindication, Intercession, and Restoration of Job (42:7–17)
The Global Message of Job

The Global Message of Job

Universal Questions

With its story of one man’s life and suffering, the book of Job raises universal questions. Why do people suffer, especially godly people? Where is God in suffering? Can God be trusted amid suffering? Job’s friends try to answer such questions with superficial and simplistic solutions, eventually earning God’s rebuke (Job 42:7–9).

Ultimately we learn from Job that we can hope steadfastly in our sovereign God. Instead of providing easy answers to hard questions, this incomparably glorious, all-knowing, and almighty God presents to people in all places and in all times the simplest, most powerful, and most universal answer to these questions. God’s answer to human suffering has everything to do with his own infinite goodness and care for his creation.

Suffering in a Fallen World

In the life of Job we see the breadth and depth of human suffering. We see suffering in health (Job 2:7), suffering in the loss of property (1:14–17), and suffering in the tragic death of family members (1:18–19). In Job we also listen in on a discussion in the heavenly courtroom between God and Satan (1:6–12; 2:1–7), in which God delights in the upright life of Job. There we are given a window into the normally invisible reasons for our trials and suffering.

Sin and suffering. Suffering is universal, though the kind of suffering differs from circumstance to circumstance. Sometimes we suffer because of our own sin. There is no such thing as sin without consequences. Sometimes God himself directly chastises his people for their sins. However, Job’s friends are wrong to assume that his suffering is a direct result of disobedience (Job 8:4), and it would likewise be wrong to conclude that all or even most suffering in the world today is divine punishment for specific sins. The speeches of Eliphaz (chs. 4; 5; 15; 22), Bildad (chs. 8; 18; 25), and Zophar (chs. 11; 20) reflect such wrong assumptions.

Common suffering. Another type of suffering is what we might call “common suffering.” This is suffering that affects all people without distinction. It is simply the result of living in a fallen world. It includes health problems from colds to cancer. It includes bad weather, earthquakes, and typhoons. It includes financial struggles, and even death itself. Each tragic incident in Job’s life includes an element of this common suffering.

Godliness and suffering. Not only are godly people afflicted with suffering just as others are, but the godly experience some kinds of suffering due specifically to their godliness (Matt. 10:24–33; Acts 14:22; 2 Tim. 3:12). Faithfulness to Christ will bring insult and at times persecution—suffering that could be avoided if we were not disciples of Christ. We see this principle in Job, for it was precisely Job’s uprightness that prompted God to single him out to Satan and then led Satan to seek to afflict him (Job 1:8–12).

Devastating suffering. Job’s suffering is uniquely profound and painful. Some suffering, we learn, defies any category. We discover in Job that Satan has a hand in some of the suffering of God’s people (Job 1:6–12; 2:1–7; compare 2 Cor. 12:1–10). But even such demonically instigated suffering is not outside of God’s sovereignty. Nor should our focus be on Satan when we suffer but rather on persisting in steadfast faith amid such God-ordained pain. At the very least a lesson to be learned from Job is that our vision and insight into suffering is severely limited. What is not limited, however, is God’s perfect understanding and sovereign control over every event in our lives. In the “Yahweh speeches” of Job (chs. 38–41), God does not engage Job in the details of his questions and complaints. Rather, God reminds Job that God is God and Job is not. God laid the foundation of the earth (38:4); he is God over the seas (38:8, 16), over the stars (38:31–33), and over every creature (39:1–30; 40:15–41:34).

A Global Message of Comfort and Hope

The almighty, all-good God. Despite its focus on challenges and sufferings, the book of Job speaks a message of great hope to the world. We live in a world longing for comfort and hope, and such hope is found in the sovereign God who sees, who is good, and who is faithful. We are not victims of random fate or uncontrolled circumstances. We are loved faithfully and passionately by a sovereign God who works all things for our good (Rom. 8:28). The suffering global church can take comfort amid suffering, knowing that God is pleased with our faithfulness to him, even as God expressed delight in “my servant Job” (Job 1:6–8; 2:3). James 5:11 reminds us that God will fulfill his good purposes and is indeed compassionate and merciful toward his people.

No neat formulas. Living an upright life of faith in God does not exempt us from suffering. This was the fundamental misunderstanding of Job’s friends (Job 8:6) and the reason that their “comfort” was so “miserable” (16:2). Indeed, in Job and in all of Scripture we see that suffering is a part of the experience of godly people, and that suffering is also a means for our sanctification. Suffering is a blessing as through it we learn that God’s ways and purposes are much greater than we can know (chs. 40–41). His purposes and faithfulness are much greater than the achievement of ease and a comfortable life; the global church must not make an idol out of worldly comfort and earthly abundance.

The sufferings of the Savior. Job confessed faith in the living Redeemer (Job 19:25). That Redeemer would one day come and suffer for us on a cross. Here we have yet another kind of suffering, the atoning sufferings of Christ. He suffered for our salvation, bearing the penalty for our sin. It is also our great privilege to share in his suffering (2 Cor. 1:5; 2 Tim. 1:8; 2:3; 1 Pet. 4:13). These are not the sufferings of health problems or bad weather or the consequences of our own folly. These are sufferings that flow from our union with and loyalty to Christ. There is a global attack on the righteous, but God will continue to provide sufficient grace to his people (2 Cor. 12:9).He will grow both his people and his kingdom through such suffering as it is endured in faith.

Our Intercession and Mission of Hope

Though God’s righteous anger burned against the three friends of Job, their folly was forgiven in response to the righteous intervention of Job’s prayers (Job 42:7–9). What then is the Christian response to those who suffer—and to those who cause suffering?

We are to intercede for the world, both in prayer and in life. We are to “comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” (2 Cor. 1:4). This comfort must find expression in our ministry and service to those in need both where we live as well as around the world—to orphans, widows, and all those who suffer.

This comfort is most gloriously and eternally known as the church ministers the gospel of new hope in Christ to the world—to the lost, to the downtrodden, and even to our enemies (Matt. 5:44). For the greatest suffering in this world is not the loss of property or even family; it is to be lost in sin, without the living Redeemer.

Proverbs Fact #1: Wisdom

Fact: Wisdom

Wisdom is a key term in Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes. The word can mean “skilled at making sound decisions in life.” Proverbs 9:10 states that “the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.”

Job Fact #1: Comfort

Fact: Comfort

Comfort is a key word in the book of Job. When faced with personal tragedies, Job receives no comfort from his friends (16:2). But when God answers him (see chs. 38–41), he finds the comfort he needs.

Job Fact #7: Three cycles of conversations

Fact: Three cycles of conversations

The book of Job includes three cycles of conversations in which the friends of Job offer their comfort and advice, and then listen as Job responds. The first cycle covers chs. 4–14.

Job Fact #15: Elihu

Fact: Elihu

Elihu is the only character in the book of Job with a Hebrew name.

Job

Job

Job was a wealthy man whom the Bible describes as “blameless and upright” (1:1). When God pointed out Job’s faithfulness, Satan responded that Job feared God only because the Lord had protected and blessed him. To test Job’s integrity, God allowed Satan to take away all of Job’s possessions and his children. In a single day Job lost everything, yet he responded faithfully (1:21). Next God gave Satan permission to attack Job’s health. He struck Job with painful sores (2:7). Job’s wife then urged him to “curse God and die” (2:9). Job’s friends wrongly concluded that his sins caused his suffering, but Job refused to accept this. Instead, Job asked God to explain why he was suffering. God eventually answered Job’s cries, and Job humbly submitted to God’s sovereignty. The Lord then restored Job’s fortune, giving him “twice as much as he had before” (42:10), and blessed him with more children. (Job 19:25)

Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar

Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar

After the Lord allowed Satan to afflict Job, three of his friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, came to comfort him. However, all three wrongly assumed that Job’s suffering was the result of some hidden sin. Each man urged Job to repent so that God would have mercy on him. But Job insisted that he was innocent. Although it is true that some suffering is a result of sin, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar oversimplified this truth. They believed that all troubles are punishments for wrongdoing, which was not the case for Job. The wrong actions of Job’s three friends should remind believers today to be wise and sensitive when dealing with people in distress. The Lord rebuked Job’s three friends and instructed Job to pray for them. (Job 42:7–9)

Study Notes

Job 19:2 How long? Job echoes the question from the first line of each of Bildad’s speeches (8:2; 18:2) to draw attention to how his friends have been condemning him.

Study Notes

Job 19:3 Ten times indicates completion, not 10 literal times (compare Gen. 31:7, 41; Num. 14:22).

Study Notes

Job 19:6 Job affirms that God is just, but also that his suffering is not because of his sin. It is God who has allowed or brought about his circumstances.

Study Notes

Job 19:7 I cry out, “Violence!” Habakkuk opens his prophecy with a similar complaint (Hab. 1:2–4).

Study Notes

Job 19:8 He has walled up my way. God’s fence had once kept trouble away from Job (1:10), but it has now become a wall that gives Job no way of escape (compare 3:23).

Study Notes

Job 19:20 by the skin of my teeth. Job has narrowly escaped death.

Study Notes

Job 19:22 Why are you not satisfied with my flesh? Job’s friends seem so convinced that he has sinned and that his suffering represents God’s judgment. Job asks why they continue to pursue him.

Study Notes

Job 19:23–24 Job wishes his words could be recorded as a witness that would remain when he is dead. He refers to two methods of recording: inscribed in a book could refer to a scroll, a book, or a clay tablet; engraved in the rock would provide a more public and permanent record.

Study Notes
Job

Job

Job was a wealthy man whom the Bible describes as “blameless and upright” (1:1). When God pointed out Job’s faithfulness, Satan responded that Job feared God only because the Lord had protected and blessed him. To test Job’s integrity, God allowed Satan to take away all of Job’s possessions and his children. In a single day Job lost everything, yet he responded faithfully (1:21). Next God gave Satan permission to attack Job’s health. He struck Job with painful sores (2:7). Job’s wife then urged him to “curse God and die” (2:9). Job’s friends wrongly concluded that his sins caused his suffering, but Job refused to accept this. Instead, Job asked God to explain why he was suffering. God eventually answered Job’s cries, and Job humbly submitted to God’s sovereignty. The Lord then restored Job’s fortune, giving him “twice as much as he had before” (42:10), and blessed him with more children. (Job 19:25)

Study Notes

Job 19:25–27 For. Job states why he wants his words recorded (see vv. 23–24): I know that my Redeemer lives. The Hebrew word for “Redeemer” often refers to a “kinsman-redeemer” (see Ruth 4:1–6 and Introduction to Ruth). This person had the right and responsibility to protect members of his family. Job believes that God will ultimately declare him innocent.

Study Notes

Job 19:1–29 Job responds, asking his friends how long they will persist in accusing him and why they feel no shame for doing so. Even if he has done wrong, it is God who has brought about his circumstances (vv. 2–6). Job laments that his suffering has brought only isolation and indifference from his family and friends (vv. 7–22). Job hopes that his trust in the Lord will be a permanent witness (vv. 23–27). He warns his friends against judging him, lest they fall under the very judgment they assume has fallen on Job (vv. 28–29).

Job 19:28–29 Job uses the image of the sword to refer to passing judgment. He warns the friends against assuming that they can wield the sword of judgment that belongs to God alone.

Job 19:29 The wrath of the friends is a sin that deserves punishment (see 31:11, 28). False testimony demands the same penalty that would have been given the accused (Deut. 19:16–19). know there is a judgment. The appearance of the Redeemer, says Job, would be bad news for his friends.

S3:065 Job 19

Listen Now

Dive Deeper | Job 19

"Holding onto Hope" was the first book/Job study I read after our 17-year-old son died unexpectedly. At the time, "hope" and "loss" felt so separate. I have learned so much about God and the journey He allowed Job to endure in the last six years. I, like Job in Job 19:7, felt that God was not hearing my cries about "Why did my son die because of medical errors?" and "Where is God's justice upon those involved?" Trusting God in the pain and loss has been an agonizing process. 

Job was a sinner in need of God's grace, yet he lived trusting and obeying God. Job expected life to go smoothly because he walked in God's righteousness. I believed that same fallacy. I have learned that God owes me nothing. His grace is sufficient and an undeserved gift. His redemption in our lives is a miracle, and it is enough.

I had faithful friends walk with me, but the grief still felt lonely and isolating. Job was forgotten and forsaken by his friends and unjustly judged by them. In Job's darkest hour, God allowed Job to lift his head to Him like in Psalm 3:3. Ultimately, God is our only constant and the source of satisfaction. Job recognizes this truth in Job 19:25 when he declares that God is his Redeemer and that God has given Job hope that, in his flesh, he will see God on the earth!

Our friends may disappoint us and not have the solutions, but we get to rest in the fact that God does have the answers. Even if His plans are not understood or liked, they are the answer to our heart's every need and wound that we have. In the brokenness of this world, we know we have our Messiah, who knew deeper loneliness and pain than any of us, enduring the cross for our redemption (Hebrews 12:2). Jesus is forever faithful and by our side as He transforms our story. We, as believers, are engraved on the palms of God's hand and not forgotten. Thankfully, God did write out Job's story for our encouragement, wisdom, and confidence in Him.

 

This month's memory verse

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

– Galatians 5:22-23

Discussion Questions

1. What songs bring you hope when you are struggling? What music grounds you in truth? "I Know That My Redeemer Lives" by Nicole C. Mullen and "Though You Slay Me" by Shane & Shane were sung at my son's life celebration. Additionally, "Even If" by Mercy Me is a very comforting song in the midst of deep sorrows.  

2. What attributes of God do you see in this passage? What attributes of God can you praise Him for today, regardless of your situation? How can you see God working in your life as you reflect? Can your friends or family acknowledge how they have seen God at work in you? Ask them.

3. What Scripture helps you take your eyes off your circumstances and onto God?

4. "[A]t the last he will stand upon the earth." (Job 19:25b) How do you envision the new heaven on this earth? What or whom do you long to see?

5. What people do you know that are struggling? Reach out to them today so you can be the good, faithful friend who listens, acknowledges the pain in their life, and doesn't try to fix it. "Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep." (Romans 12:15)

Listen and soak in Mullen's song lyrics. See the complete lyrics here.

Now, I know my Redeemer lives
I know my Redeemer lives
Let all creation testify
Let this life within me cry
I know my Redeemer lives

As we gear up to release even more features for Join The Journey in 2025, our staff team, unfortunately, no longer has the margin to continue to support the comment functionality. We have big things in store for Join The Journey 2025. Stay tuned!

GJ

greg jones

Good morning Suzanne. What a great smile. “Job was a sinner in need of God's grace, yet he lived trusting and obeying God. Job expected life to go smoothly because he walked in God's righteousness. I believed that same fallacy.” Why would we not when life is mostly going smoothly? There are parts of the Bible that support an expectation of a smooth life walking in God’s righteousness. Personally I don’t believe Job and his friends were historical people. I believe the book of Job is like a parable. In it Job’s friends have a traditional Israelite view of God and that view is expressed in their poetic speeches. The prose in chapters 1, 2, and 42 let the reader know that Job’s testimony is true and that his friend’s accusations have no merit. Whether or not Job is parable or historical it is very powerful in the revelation progression that is the OT. For a people who at different points in their history may begin to question a purely transactional relationship with God, this book encourages the questions. Trying to imagine the influence and mindset of people living in polytheistic ANE society I don’t think the book of Job is telling us something about God’s character. I see the theology of Job’s friends reducing God’s character to the picture we have of him in Job. A revelation of a greater God than the one we see would be found in the irony that is a part of the overall Job narrative. For our part today we will rightly say our theology is not based on health and wealth. We’re bigger than that. But take something away from us and see if we’re bigger than any underlying entitlement issues that might be supporting our relationship with God. “But the grief still felt lonely and isolating.” I can imagine your pain. I could never know it without experiencing it. I do get that there is a time that is like a place before it and time that is like a place after it. I believe I get that place you’re sharing from. I recognize it in your deeper dive. In that place there is an enviable intimacy that is greater than the envious fallacy…it’s not necessarily more desirable, it’s just greater. One, the greater one, is sustainable through hardship. One, the former one, is not. Thank you for sharing your journey I was truly blessed.
SB

Sue Bohlin

Suzanne! Thank you for this marvelous devo today! How could you not draw on your deep, deep pain of grief and loss of Austin in writing about Job? Bless you, sister. As Job described himself seven (the number of fullness or completion) different ways as a man under attack, but then lands on the triumphant statement of faith, "I know that my Redeemer lives," I am reminded of the incredibly powerful word YET. Throughout this book, he had no answers from God . . . YET. But they were coming. They are always coming, when we look from an eternal perspective. I am reminded of the wisdom of Christian philosophers who provide incredibly helpful perspective in answering the problem of evil and pain. Starting with philosopher David Hume's argument against God: If God is all good, he would defeat evil. If God is all powerful, he could defeat evil. But evil is not defeated. Therefore, there is no such God. God is either impotent or malevolent. Makes sense at first, and it fuels a lot of people's disbelief in a good God. But when you add that one powerful word, it makes all the difference: If God is all good, he would defeat evil. If God is all powerful, he could defeat evil. But evil is not YET defeated. Therefore, God will defeat evil. God is all good, all powerful, and merciful. Praise God!
JC

Jason Cromwell

#1. "When The Rain Comes"-Third Day has always been that song for me no matter what Season I'm going through. I'm currently in that season as I write this. It's definitely not popular to be my friend so I have had to depend on Jesus as my source of everything. I have memories and I know this is only a Season, and I know I will have friends again. It can be lonely but Jesus has helped me ever step of the way.
MS

Michael Scaman

Job is feeling abandoned and isolated He sees his suffering from te hand of God but has no category for this suffering of an innocent His friends have no category for it either Their accusations are unjust and they may be the ones facing conseqences Despite not know why this is happening Job knows he has a redeemer a living one who will not die with him rather raise him. A hope in a resurection beyond his understanding. These issues will be resolved then O Palmer Robertson Might point out that Psalms 35 to 36 are on the suffering of the innocent while Psalms 30 to 41 are on the suffering of the guilty both applied to Jesus who was innocent but took on the sins of the world. The Hebrew word used in this passage for "redeemer" is "גֹּאֲלִ֣י" (go'ali), which can also be translated as "my vindicator" or "my avenger." It signifies someone who delivers or rescues, often in a legal or familial context. Let's write a poem on this as if by O Palmer Robertson Title: Abandoned yet hoping in God as if by O Palmer Robertson In the depths of anguish, Job stands, a lone figure, Abandoned by companions, his heart grows ever sturdier. He perceives his plight as a divine decree, Yet in this uncharted suffering, his innocence, a mystery. No label fits his undeserved ordeal, His friends' accusations, a relentless ordeal. Unfair and harsh, their words a bitter rain, No rigteous purpose for this agony, their hearts disdain. Yet Job clings to a hope profound, Job has a Redeemer, a goal, a helper in familial disputes where death is not the bound. For Job possesses a close personal and living living Savior, faithful and true, Who shall not abandon him, but make him anew. Once he scorned his birth, cursed the day he came to be, Now he awaits a better birth, a resurrection key. Though veiled in enigma, this path he treads, With pain and doubt heavy as lead, He holds firm to the promise, beyond mortal sight, Of a resurrection, bathed in God's eternal light. From Psalms 35 to 36, the innocent's plight is told, From Psalms 38 to 41, the guilty's tale unfolds. For in both innocent and guilty suffering's grasp, Lies the foreshadowing of Christ's redemptive clasp. Let Job's lament resound through time's expanse, Even in darkness, let hope's flame dance. For in the depths of sorrow, there shines a beacon bright, A Savior transforming anguish into hope and a glimmer of light.
AL

Amy Lowther

1. If I am really struggling, I rely on “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”. 2. I see unconditional love. I would praise God for the strength He offers me and the truth He helps me see in everything. God is always present everywhere, even when we don’t pay attention to Him, encouraging the best options for everybody to do their best. Close friends of mine would say God is at work in me to be understanding and supportive of others who have busy, busy schedules. 3. John 3:16. 4. It will be the same as it is now, except the Lord will be on earth. This will be great so we can chat. 5. It’s a workday today and a school day. Struggles are everywhere. But with God, we can overcome our struggles and do good things., Suzanne -Thank you for sharing your ideas. I like your point, “Our friends may disappoint us and not have the solutions, but we get to rest in the fact that God does have the answers. Even if His plans are not understood or liked, they are the answer to our heart's every need and wound that we have”. Beautifully said!
DS

David Silva

These days on earth are filled with good and hard things. Ultimately, I’m thankful we know God is good and can be trusted. Though, it truly is a journey. Thankful for you always!