Day 152: Esther 9:32 - Job 4:20

I have to be honest and say that of all the books of the Bible, I think I've looked forward to reading Job the least. And not only that, but I'm not sure that I will be able to know exactly what I feel like the entire book is saying until I've read it from beginning to end. But there are a few things that I do know already about the book and a couple of things that I've gotten so far. First of all, I do know that this entire book is about suffering, and if that's not a common thread that all of us throughout history have always and will always share, I don't know what is. Secondly, I know that it's about how one man handled the suffering - and I believe we see the right way and the wrong way to handle it. I've heard both sides of the ". . . Lord given and the Lord taketh away," argument and I have to be honest, I think both sides have some pretty convincing "logical" points, but I would have to say that when you're dealing with suffering, logic is the last place anyone would ever want to look. I plan to read this book with an open heart and through the eyes of love. If there's one big truth we could get from the Bible, it would have to be that God is Love and that God loves His children. Not with the kind of love that always makes sure that they're happy comfortable, but the kind of love that gives them strength when the devil has taken everything away and the kind of love that gives them the wisdom to not only learn from the circumstances that caused the suffering, but to learn from the suffering itself. I may not necessarily be looking forward to reading all of these chapters about a man whose life has been torn apart, but I am definitely looking forward to learning and gaining a deeper understanding of human suffering and how to find God in the midst of it all.

- Lord, help me to set aside all of the preconceived notions that I have about the book of Job. Help me to learn what You want me to learn and not simply remember what others have tried to convince me of. I know that suffering has always been and will always be a part of life, but I believe that through the words of these Scriptures, I can learn not only how to handle it, but also how to use it to get myself and others to the place that You are calling us. -