40 Days with Job – Day 12

Posted on October 16, 2014 by Dr. Logan's Blog

Day Twelve – Chapter 12

“Then Job responded, ‘truly then you are the people, and with you wisdom will die! But I have intelligence as well as you; I am not inferior to you. And who does not know such things as these? I am a joke to my friends, the one who called on God and He answered him; the just and blameless man is a joke’” (vs. 1-4 – NAS95).

I don’t know about you, but I have grown weary with the verbiage of Job’s so-called friends and was beginning to wonder how much more of their ill-gotten wisdom he was going to take. It is bad enough to go through something and already be beating yourself up over it without having those who are supposed to know you best bringing accusation against you. Many of us will sit in relative silence listening to the accusations when we should be telling these prognosticators where to ‘step off.’ I know, I know, that did not sound very godly, but that is exactly my point. We think that our relationship with the Lord requires that we put up with foolishness and it does not. Job, a godly man, a blameless man, “a man upright, fearing God and turning away from evil,” finally took about as much as he could and we finally hear his response.

Now the NAS95 translation is good, but look at the beginning of what Job says as Eugene Peterson translates it in The Message:

“Job answered: ‘I’m sure you speak for all the experts, and when you die there’ll be no one left to tell us how to live. But don’t forget that I also have a brain—I don’t intend to play second fiddle to you. It doesn’t take an expert to know these things. I’m ridiculed by my friends: ‘So that’s the man who had conversations with God!’ Ridiculed without mercy: ‘Look at the man who never did wrong’” (vs. 1-4 – The Message)!

Their accusations are ludicrous and Job is bold enough to tell them so. They are not helping, and are in fact adding to his agony because now they are joining in the ridicule coming from the community. People seem to love seeing the fall and apparent failure of those who seemed to have it all, and perhaps they are simply revealing the jealousy that has always lain dormant inside of them. Whatever their motivation, Job tells us that he is not going to take it, and by extension neither should we. But note this one thing, he does not respond to them in the same spirit and voice they use. He responds but does not lose who he is in the process. Whatever you do today, do not let people pull you out of whom and whose you are regardless of the depth of pain you are suffering.

Dear Lord, we know how Job feels. We, too, have endured the accusations of those who are closest and should know us best. It is difficult to get past their accusations without responding in like kind or being tempted to believe them. We sometimes feel guilty thinking about the responses we would like to make. Forgive us for not walking in love and also for not expressing ourselves in the manner we should. Protect us today from the virulent nature of baseless accusations. Help us, instead, to focus on Your Word and Your way so that we may come out of this trial like gold, in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

 

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40 Days with Job – Day 11

Posted on October 15, 2014 by Dr. Logan's Blog

Day Eleven – Chapter 11

“Can you discover the depths of God? Can you discover the limits of the Almighty? They are high as the heavens, what can you do? Deeper than Sheol, what can you know” (vs. 7, 8)?

The third of Job’s so-called friends now takes his turn and weighs in with his opinion. What he asks is very true. No one is able to discover the depths of God. No one can discover His limitations. But to couch these questions in a rebuke in response to Job’s despair is unconscionable. Can you imagine pouring out and baring your soul to those you think are your friends and instead of being comforted you get rebuked? I don’t know that I can think of a worse scenario. Job did not need a theological conversation. He was not looking for an ecclesial rebuke, but rather for comfort, care and concern, and he did not receive it.

How we care for one another is far more important than we know. We cannot allow the preoccupation with the trivia of our lives to get in the way of being authentically sons and daughters in the Kingdom. We are all very busy people and as such we periodically fail to show the care and concern for one another we should. Sometimes we try to show care and concern by saying too much. We at times feel as though we should speak to what we hear coming from those free enough to express the hurt and pain in their lives. Zophar would have been far better off simply keeping his mouth shut. But he did not and often we do not.

What do people want to hurt when they are in crisis? Sometimes the answer is for more simplistic than we would believe. They really are not looking for us to say anything. Our presence means more to them than anything we could possibly say. When ministering to people who are in pain some of us could do well to continue doing what Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar did when they first approached Job; they were still for seven days. In most circumstances much of what we would say grows out of our experience and therefore may or may not apply to the situation we are trying address. Then, too, there are times when people reflect their ignorance by saying things that are foolish and do more harm than good.

None of us can discover the depths of God. None of us can discover the limits of the Almighty. But that is not our responsibility. Today let us endeavor to be a loving, caring presence to and for those who are hurting and leave the rest to God

Eternal everlasting God, You are the ancient of days. Your ways are not our ways, and Your thoughts are not our thoughts. We do not understand the things You do or how You do them. Forgive us for trying to understand and explain the things that happen to those around us rather than to be present with them in their sorrow. Show us this day how to watch, pray and be present even as You have been and are present with us. Amen.

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40 Days with Job – Chapter 10

Posted on October 14, 2014 by Dr. Logan's Blog

Day Ten – Chapter 10

“I loathe my own life; I will give full vent to my complaint; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul. I will say to God, ‘Do not condemn me; let me know why you contend with me’ (vs. 1, 2). Your hands fashioned and made me altogether, and would you destroy me? Remember now, that you have made me as clay; and would you turn me into dust again (vs. 8, 9)? Why then have you brought me out of the womb? Would that I had died and no eye had seen me” (v. 18).

It is impossible to read the story of Job without feeling empathy and sympathy for him, and it is also impossible to read it without seeing oneself in it. Job is so embittered because of his suffering that he doubts whether talking to the Lord would make any difference in his situation. Not many of us have experienced the immense amount of suffering Job endured, but we all know what it is like to either actually be bitter, or to experience life’s tragedies in such a way as to risk become so.

The writer of Hebrews warns about the dangers of becoming bitter. “See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled; that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal” (Hebrews 12:15, 16). Another translation says, “let no root of bitterness . . .” Becoming bitter is a very real possibility for everyone of us, but doing so, or allowing oneself to become so, endangers us far worse than the thing that has caused the bitterness. This is a hard word for many because the hurt, pain, anger and frustration we feel as a result of the negative occurrences we have experienced seem to justify or warrant the bitterness. Bitterness indicates a lack of forgiveness, which negates the forgiveness we have received and will receive from the God. It defiles one giving rise to immorality and, in the case of Esau, very poor decisions. In Job’s case it led to some very harsh words, which only confirmed what was in his heart.

Job had become bitter, and like him, many of us have become bitter too. It is easy to see from reading his story the potential debilitating effects of his bitterness. It is not so easy to see our own. Often people looking from the outside have to tell us of the danger they see in our outlook and attitudes. No one blames you for how you feel, Everyone can understand the emotions that flood your very being, but let Job’s condition be a wakeup call for each of us today; watch out for the scourge of bitterness. In the words of Bishop Vashti McKenzie, “Get over it and keep it moving.”

Dear Lord, I am saddened to confess that I have allowed myself to become bitter over the negative events of my life. I feel stuck fixating over the things that have happened to me. I want to let it go, but the associated thoughts and memories make it nearly impossible. I don’t understand why this has happened to me. Help me to overcome today. I give you my situation. I surrender the pain, hurt, anger and frustration. Help me to focus more on the awesome future You have for me and less on what I have come through. Replace my salvation with joy and help me to “keep it moving.” Amen.

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40 Days with Job – Day 9

Posted on October 13, 2014 by Dr. Logan's Blog

Day Nine – Chapter 9

“ Then Job answered, ‘In truth I know that this is so; but how can a man be in the right before God? If one wished to dispute with Him, he could not answer Him once in a thousand times. Wise in heart and mighty in strength, who has defied Him with out harm’” (9:1-4)?

After agreeing with Bildad that his end will be better than his present, Job slips deeper into a pit of despair. His despair falls so deep that he questions whether God is even able to communicate with Him. How many times have you and I fallen so deep in despondency that we have begun to question whether God is present and if He is, whether He cares. No matter how deep our commitment and faithful our reliance, every one of us has or at one time will have places where they share Job’s sentiments. Sometimes we like to spiritualize our relationship with the Lord to the point that we begin to give the impression that we are above such feelings.

Rest assured that God does care about your situation. He cares about you and how you are feeling experiencing the pain and turmoil you feel. If the story of Job tells us anything about God, it is that He is not surprised by anything we experience. Our God is the sovereign Lord of the universe who is omniscient. He knew what would befall us before it happened. He knew what our response would be before we made it, but our actions are not fixed. We still have the right of choice. We have multiple paths we can take, multiple directions we can go, and multiple responses we can make. The key is to keep the lines of communication with the Lord open.

Peter advises his readers, “Cast your cares upon Him, for He cares for you.” We may not be able to tell anyone about our struggles. We may not want to burden those around us with our heavy load. We may be concerned about the propensity of others to gossip rather than to pray, and so tend to bottle our emotions up on the inside, even when they are directed against the Lord. God can handle our doubts and fears. He can handle our questions and hesitance. One of the worst things we can do is take our feelings internal. Today, whether they are complaints or requests, doubts or fears, take them to the Lord and let Him give you the assurance you need because He cares for you.

Dear Lord, I confess today that there are times when I wonder whether You are near me. There are times when I really want to feel Your presence and do not. Help me to draw near to You so You can draw nearer to me. Help me to cast my cares upon You, my hurt and pain, my doubts and fears, my frustrations and anger. Help me to know You love me and care for me. I give myself to You freely today and trust You to do in me what You desire. Amen.

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40 Days with Job – Day 8

Posted on October 12, 2014 by Dr. Logan's Blog

Day Eight – Chapter 8

“How long will you say these things, and the words of your mouth be a mighty wind” (8:2)?

In chapter four Eliphaz contends that the innocent do not suffer, now in chapter eight the second of his ‘friends,’ Bildad contends that God rewards the good. The inference of both is to bring accusation against Lot. If he were innocent he would not be suffering and if he were truly good then he would be rewarded. Though both sat in silence with Job for seven days their friendship is suspect at best. It appears that with ‘friends’ like these Job did not need any enemies. There was no empathy or sympathy on their part at all. Bildad begins, disrespectfully, by suggesting that Job is just blowing air (v.2). In verse four, he suggests that God delivered Job’s sons “into the power of their transgression.” In verse six he challenges Job’s purity and righteousness. Then in verse eight he tells Job to inquire of his ancestors, presumably to ascertain generational causes of his predicament.

Bildad’s words are disappointing to say the least, but they are not without a good bit of truth. Note that he asserts that Job’s ending will be great (v. 7), and in verses 20-22 says, “Lo, God will not reject a man of integrity, nor will he support the evildoers. He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouting. Those who hate you will be clothed with shame, and the tent of the wicked will ne no longer.” These are words spoken based upon Bildad’s misconceptions about how God works and Job’s innocence in the matter, but they are true nonetheless. Though we have the luxury of seeing the beginning from the end, it is nonetheless true that God will provide recompense for whatever we have lost precisely because of our faithfulness.

Bildad, though not really understanding, tells Job, in essence, that things are going to work out right in the end. Do you have that assurance today? Are you able to see light at the end of the tunnel and confidently believe they are not the lights of an oncoming train? Bildad is correct: God is just. Job does not see it at the moment and the comments of his so-called friends are not helping at all, but you and I can rest in the assurance that our God who cares for and loves us will not leave us comfortless. We can rest in the assurance that His purposes will be evidenced in our lives as we continue steadfastly to walk in obedience to His Word and calling.

Lord Jesus, I want so desperately to know and believe that You have my future in hand, but I confess that it is hard. I find myself fixated with my circumstances and tend to focus more on my skill than Your ability. Help me today to hear Your Word through the sound of so-called ‘friends’ who call themselves helping me but are in reality adding to my pain and agony. Quiet me today to every voice except Your own and enable me to walk obediently to Your leading. Amen.

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40 Days with Job – Day 7

Posted on October 11, 2014 by Dr. Logan's Blog

Day Seven – Chapter 7

“Is not man forced to labor on earth, and are not his days like the days of a hired man” (7:1)?

“Remember that my life is but breath; my eye will not again see good” (7:7).

In the previous chapter Job reveals his frustration over the lack of help he is receiving from his ‘friends.’ Now in this chapter we see his frustration bubble up to the point where he has become despondent and begins to speak as if the entirety of his life is futile. We should not think too harshly of Job because he is merely expressing his humanity. No matter how committed we are in our walk with the Lord there are always going to be some things that do more than test our faith; they have the potential of leading us to a place of despondency. Such a place is not all that uncommon for the average person, but when you are known for your faith, your righteousness and your avoidance of evil, as Job was, people do not tend to expect it of you or appreciate in you.

Leaders are people too. They are prone to the same feelings and emotions as the next person. When they experience trial and tribulation, though they know people are watching them, they tend to bottle up their feelings trying to demonstrate what they teach and set a good example. But sometimes their emotions are not easily contained. No one can really blame Lot for his feelings coming through. It is probably safe to suggest that most would have said the same, similar or even worse had they experienced what he had. His fortune is gone, his children are gone, and his wife has lost all respect for him. On top of that his body is covered with sores that hurt, itch, are oozing and he cannot get any sleep.

It is not a betrayal of one’s faith to own the fact that they are hurting, frustrated, or even angry. There are many things in life that provoke strong emotional responses. It is not reasonable to pretend immunity to the various pains that come with life and living. On the other hand it is unreasonable to behave as if we don’t hurt. When we own our hurt we position ourselves to receive ministry. No one expects us to be Job. No one expects us to be superman. On the same token, no expects us to labor in self-pity. Without being a crybaby looking for pity, own your hurt and your pain, but then take that same hurt and pain to the Lord.

Dear gracious heavenly Father, I know that You are always close at hand. I feel Your presence about me most of the time, but there are those times when I feel as though I have no hope or help. I don’t want to feel this despondency but the pain is often times more than I can bear and the emotions come tumbling out. Help me today to trust You more and bring my cares and concerns to You. Remind me again that You care for me every day and enable me to bring my emotions, my cares and concerns to You, knowing that You care for me. Amen.

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40 Days with Job – Day 6

Posted on October 10, 2014 by Dr. Logan's Blog

Day Six – Chapter 6

“For the despairing man there should be kindness from his friend; so that he does not forsake the fear of the Lord Almighty” (6:14).

Job’s so-called friends gather around him and are present with him in the midst of his distress and despair. One would think that they were with him to comfort him, especially having sat in silence with him for seven days (2:13), but once Eliphaz begins to speak we soon discover such was not the case. Instead of comforting Job these ‘friends’ bring accusation against him surmising that he must be guilty of some wrong doing otherwise he would not be suffering in the manner that he is. The entire scenario raises all sorts of questions for me: what kind of friends are these? If they were truly friends would they not know enough about Job’s life to refrain from asking certain things or making certain assumptions?

When Job begins to speak he declares, “For the despairing man there should be kindness from his friend.” For anyone that has ever been through something Job’s statement should hit very close to home. I know, first hand, what it is to experience grief and loss, and while I am certain that it is very different from what you may have endured it is loss and grief nonetheless. These times are excruciatingly painful and there often appears to be little or no relief in sight. You are afraid to be around a lot of people because while you want to be comforted you don’t want to be coddled or pitied. You sometimes feel that no one knows the depths of your pain and at times feel no one really cares.

I believe that it is during the most trying times that true friendship is put to the test, “For the despairing man there should be kindness from his friend.” I thank God for the friends who have gathered and who continue to gather around me during some of the darkest moments in my life. But they were and are not there to stroke my ego, assuage my guilt, confirm my rationalizations, or to be in general sycophants (‘yes people’). Their motivation has been that which Job delineates, “For the despairing man there should be kindness from his friend; SO THAT HE DOES NOT FORSAKE THE FEAR OF THE LORD ALMIGHTY.” Job realizes what we often forget or refuse to forgive about our human nature and that is that when we are in pain and turmoil all sorts of things come out of our mouths because we hurt, but we must not blame, curse, or deny God. Job did not have such a friend in Eliphaz and he needed one. I thank God for my friends.

Dear heavenly Father, thank You for giving me friends with great gifts of discernment. Thank You for friends who know my life, my witness, my testimony, and my anointing. Thank You for friends who know the right words to say and the times to remain silent. Thank You for friends who will remind me of the mandate on my life and who seek to protect me from myself, and defend the power of my prophesy. May I follow their example and be an even better friend to them in their time of need, and may I never fail to honor you especially in the time of trouble. It is in the name of Jesus my Lord I pray. Amen.

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40 Days with Job – Day 5

Posted on October 9, 2014 by Dr. Logan's Blog

Day Five – Chapter 5

“ Call now, is there anyone who will answer you? And to which of the holy ones will you turn” (5:1)

Eliphaz is not finished with his tirade against Job. The entirety of chapter five constitutes his rationale for why Job must be guilty of some offense to suffer in the manner he is suffering. Most everything he has to say points to some inevitable error of which Job must be guilty because God is just and would not inflict such suffering for no reason. He advises Job to seek God and place his case before him (v. 8), and even chides Job to change his attitude toward his suffering. In verse seventeen he posits, “Behold, how happy is the man whom God reproves, so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.”

Eliphaz’s reasoning is accusatory, one-sided and just plain wrong, but in it there are contained many truths we can affirm. First, in verse seven he says, “For man is born for trouble, as sparks fly upward.” This is a consistent word throughout scripture that even Job himself affirms in the fourteenth chapter, “Man, who is born of a woman, is short-lived and full of turmoil” (14:1). Jesus himself taught, “In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world” (John16:33). We should not be surprised, therefore, when we encounter trials of all kinds because trouble is a part of life.

Second, he affirms the awesome nature of God (vs. 9-16). He tells Job, what I am certain Job already knows, that God “does great and unsearchable things, wonders without number” (v. 9). Clearly he understands the awesome might and authority, which is God’s, but his application is misguided. He emphatically declares how awesome and unsearchable God is, but them endeavors to explain what he does.

Third, he suggests that in the midst of God’s discipline one should be happy rather than grieved (v. 17). It is another powerful statement that we can and should affirm as it relates to the sovereignty of God. The author of the Book of Hebrews writes echoing these words from the Book of Job, “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by Him” (Hebrews 12:5), but his conclusion of the matter is vastly different from that of Eliphaz. In the very next verse we read these words, “For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives” (Hebrews 12:6).

Eliphaz, on the one hand, is saying all the right things but his application is flawed because it is based on a completely false premise. God, even in this story, is not the author of horrific things that happen in our lives. God may have allowed Satan to afflict Job but He did not Himself do it. God, also, does not arbitrarily use the horrific events of our lives to discipline us for our evil deeds and if He does discipline His children in this fashion it is never a surprise because He tells us what the consequences of our actions will be. So, today stop blaming God for your trouble. See it for what it is and from where it has come, confess if you need to and move forward.

Dear Lord, help me to take responsibility today for whatever I have done that may have contributed to the situation in which I find myself. Help me, too, walk in the authority You have given to bind and loose in Your name. Give me courage to directly face my challenges while trusting You to perform your perfect will in my life. Amen.

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40 Days with Job – Day 4

Posted on October 8, 2014 by Dr. Logan's Blog

Day Four – Chapter 4

“Remember now, who ever perished being innocent? Or where were the upright destroyed” (4:7)?

Having been introduced to the first of Job’s friends we are confronted with two important questions. The questions are important because they reveal an attitude and mentality that was prevalent in Lot’s day. This attitude and mentality contended very simply that those who are innocent do not suffer. Such was Eliphaz’s contention as he delicately tried to make sense out of Job’s predicament. The supposition suggests that for Job to have experienced all the tragedy that he did there must have been some wrong doing on his part. Of course we know the truth. Job got caught in the middle of a cosmic contest and so it would seem that his experience is not all that germane or is it?

While we know that there is not always a connection between personal suffering and something we may have done wrong, it does not stop us from second guessing ourselves and wondering what we did or did not do to warrant whatever it is we are going through. Who among us has not asked of ourselves the same types of questions or has made similar statements to that which Eliphaz makes? We ask the questions because we want desperately to understand our situation and because we want to transfer responsibility to someone or something else.

Here is good news for someone: God does not generally behave punitively toward His people. That is not to say that there are no consequences for whatever we do, but God is fundamentally just (see chapter 5). His justice does not countenance taking out his wrath upon his people in retributive payment for some glaring fault. While Eliphaz’s critique seems overblown to us, he made it because he had no other information to go on and he was tired of seeing his friend suffering with no end in sight.

Remember today that trouble and trial are part of life. There is no one immune from it or who will escape its clutches. Even Jesus declared that “we would have tribulation in this life.” But then came the good news that we could “be of good cheer because He had overcome the world” (John 16:33). For as much as we would like to make sense out of our suffering most of the time it just makes none. We rest, however, in the knowledge that God’s grace is sufficient for us, that because God is for us there is none who can be against us, and that if Jesus can overcome the world then our present suffering cannot compare to His glory or His deliverance.

Dear Lord, I struggle to make sense of the horrific events of my life. I hunt for reasons why things have happened the way they have instead of the way I had hoped and/or planned. I have even blamed myself by seeing actions I have taken to be the source of my suffering. I want so desperately to understand my predicament that I find myself ready to betray my faith just so as to know the cause(s) of my trouble. Help me today to take my hands off my trouble and allow You to address them in the way You and You alone see fit. Give me enough peace and confidence to let things go that I have been holding onto and have become weights and obstacles. As I rest in You turn around my fortunes and help me find an oasis of hope. In Jesus’ matchless name I pray. Amen.

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40 Days with Job – Lot

Posted on October 7, 2014 by Dr. Logan's Blog

Day Three – Chapter 3

“Afterward Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth” (3:1)

How much pain can a person handle? How much agony must a person experience before they reach their breaking point? After reading of the calamity Job suffered I found myself wondering what my response would have been. He endured the loss of his property, the loss of his children, the loss of his health, the loss of his wife’s respect, and now he is seated in silent agony for seven days with his friends. Then the rant begins and he curses the day he as born.

It is not hard for me to understand his ranting. How many times have we replayed the events of our lives imagining how things could have been different? The specifics of his ranting matters little to me because clearly he is just giving vent to the pent-up frustration over his circumstances. Job was a righteous man, “a blameless and upright man” (1:8), but he was a man, a human being with real feelings. Sometimes we have the tendency to elevate people so high in our esteem that we cannot countenance the fact that they are still human and therefore prone to all the emotions we experience.

What is of particular note, however, is that while Job cursed the day of his birth, he still did not blame God. He did not do as he wife had counseled him in the previous chapter to do, ‘curse God and die.” There is a way to grieve over situations without blaming God or giving away your confidence. It is a dangerous thing to either blame or credit God for things He has not done or has not said.

If you are one who finds themselves in the throes of grief and loss do not make the mistake of giving the impression you are stronger than you are. You, like Job, have a right and reason to grieve. You have suffered loss. It is painful. You are hurting. Perhaps you are angry. To keep it bottled up inside only leads to other negative consequences. Own your grief!

Dear Lord, you know full well the losses your people have suffered. You alone know the depth of disappointment and pain they have felt and do feel. Embrace your people today with your love. Cause them to know your presence and power. Lift them from the doldrums of self-pity and depression and give them space to grieve their losses in a healthy productive way. Send around them sisters and brothers that will sit and be present with them. Bring them healing and wholeness so that today they will begin to see hope beyond their circumstances and have a far better day, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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