God's Hedge of Protection

After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before. Job 42: 10

As I finish reading the book of Job, I have to say...it was a rewarding experience.  I have always been hesitant about reading it, but I'm glad I did.  It was a bit frustrating, I have to admit...but...I was able to find precious gems that allowed me to appreciate it more than I thought I would.  Of course, the most stunningly beautiful of those jewels is discovered at the end, when we see how God restores Job by reinstating His blessings upon him two-fold.

To me, however, the greatest blessing is not that God gave Job twice as much as he had before.  The most important and most vital thing that Job got back was God's presence.  

We see how in the beginning of the book, Satan asks God to remove His hedge of protection from Job, and God agrees to have Job sifted like flower.  

I believe God places this hedge of protection around every believer.  And it is called, The Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is the Power in us who is Greater than the power of the one who is in the world, and it is through The Power of Him who is in us that we overcome.  (1 John 4)  Those who do not have the Holy Spirit in them belong to the world and do not know God...and cannot listen to His voice.  The result:  decay, destruction and loss.  

It is like Jesus said in John 10: 10,  The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

When the hedge of protection, God's presence, was removed from Job's life, the thief came in to steal and kill and destroy.  But, as soon as God's presence returned, the abundant life was possible again.  The gift is not the things that we get from God.  The gift and the miracle and the greatest blessing is Christ in us in the Person of the Holy Spirit.

The life lived seeking Him is a life well lived, whether it is full of years or a vapor in the wind.  May we be ever mindful of the Holy Host we have dwelling in our souls.  May our hearts be soft and malleable to receive His guidance and listen to His counsel while we walk on these shores.  In the Precious Name of Jesus, The One Who Overcomes.  Amen!

God Speaks to Job

 I often wonder why teenagers tend to think they know it all...I mean, I was a teenager once...I know, it was last century.  But, I still remember.  I was full of anxiety and insecurities...nothing new there.  However, I do not remember thinking I knew it all.  Maybe my parents would disagree.  The problem is that it is too late to ask them on this side of heaven.  But, I honestly don't remember thinking I knew better than them.  Maybe I did, but I had too much respect for them to even imply a hint of superiority in my voice.  I pretty much subscribed to the idea that "the fear of my Dad was the beginning of wisdom and the assurance of survival," LOL.

Our sons, however, are not afraid of speaking their minds.  We're pretty strict and I'm very scary...but...for some reason, they are not afraid of speaking back to us.  Especially Dylan...boy...that kid...sigh...

The thing is, reading chapters 40 and 41 of the Book of Job, when God is finally speaking, reminds me a bit of the kind of lectures I have been known to give to Dylan once or twice. I call them, the "who do you think you are, kid?" lectures.  Do you know what I'm talking about?  Are you familiar with those little chats between parent and child that start with "the look" that screams:  "you did not just say that!" and end with someone walking to his room without his precious phone?  Have you experienced those talks?

Well, I think that's the kind of speech that God gives Job when He finally speaks.  I don't know what a "Behemoth" or a "Leviathan" are, but I bet that might have something to do with the point God is trying to make.  He's like, "listen to me Job, I made these creatures, OK?  They're insanely big and strong and wild and scary.  Do you think you can capture them? Can you pull in Leviathan with a fishhook or tie down its tongue with a rope? Job, you couldn't begin to put together a plan to find them...forget about dominating them...man, you don't even know what they are!  You have no clue.  You think you can say whatever you want.  Do you have an arm like mine and a voice that thunders like this?  Who do you think you are, kid?"

My favorite part is when God, like the parent addressing the brother that is butting in, turns to Eliphaz de "termite" and says something like, "by the way, you and your two friends...you all better keep your mouth shut.  I'm angry with you too because you've been blaspheming me...so be quiet now, you'll get yours real soon." (my paraphrasing of the Epilogue in chapter 42)

What often happens is that, it is not only teen boys who think they know better.  We've all been there.  I might not remember verbally questioning my parents or talking back at them.  But I do know many times I have tried to tell God how to run things in my life.  I have more than suggested to Him how to do things and how to plan the events of my days and of the days of those I love...because...honestly...I had thought I knew better.  But we all know that I really do not know better...not even a little bit.  I just have a lot of pride...and what I need is to "repent in dust and ashes."

I know I will probably continue to give my sons my lectures for as long as I'm around...but I will always do that inspired by the great love I have for them, to try to guide them through the path of what is right and righteous.  And I can only pray that the Lord will continue to give me His lectures, and continue to reveal Himself to me so I too can be led to the path that will take me straight into His arms.  In the Precious Name of Jesus, My Redeemer Who Lives!  Amen!

The Art of Listening

 "God gave us 1 mouth and 2 ears for a reason," Dan always tells Dylan every time his 15 year-old tongue gets away from him...which happens more than I would ever care to contemplate...sigh...the thing is, Dylan is not the only one.  I am guilty of the same ailment:  NOT LISTENING.  

I talk too much.  I don't mean that I'm talkative.  I am not.  Socially, I am quite reserved and rather quiet and contemplative in nature (at least, I'd like to think so).  But in my head...it is a different story.  Inside of me there lives a person filled with aggression.  My mind is filled with words.  My thoughts are very loud in my brain, and it feels as if I just keep producing them non-stop.  They are bumper to bumper, pushing each other like city highway traffic during rush hour.  It was worst when I was younger.  I have to admit that old age has slowed me down a bit.  But still...when something is worrying me (which, let's be honest, everything worries me) my brain goes on overdrive.  My mind gets so jammed packed with rushing thoughts, that there is no room for much else but for the worry that consumes me.  And, worst of all, I become deaf to everything else.  I stop listening.

My devotional reading yesterday was a good reminder of the need to listen...the need to listen to the whispering of the Holy Spirit:

"Listen to Me continually.  I have much to communicate to you, so many people and situations in need of prayer.  I am training you to set your mind on Me more and more, tuning out distractions through the help of My Spirit.  Walk with Me in holy trust, responding to My initiatives rather than trying to make things fit your plans.  I died to set you free, and that includes freedom from compulsive planning.  when your mind spins with a multitude of thoughts, you cannot hear My voice.  A mind preoccupied with planning pays homage to the idol of control.  Turn from this idolatry back to Me.  Listen to Me and live abundantly." (Jesus Calling by Sarah Young)

I need to remember to stop worshiping the idol of control.  Compulsive planning and the multitude of thoughts in my mind keep me from hearing His voice...keep me from living abundantly...I pray that the Holy Spirit helps me be more selective with my thoughts.  I pray He enables me to quiet them down long enough so I can listen.  I pray I am moved to Scripture, as every word read from the Bible is a love note for us...His children.  I pray I can renew my mind and redeem my thoughts.  I pray I can truly listen to His voice. In the Precious Name of Jesus, the One and Only King of All that I am.  Amen!

The Lord of the Storm

Have you ever experienced a storm of significant force?   Growing up in Panama, I endured many tropical storms.  The dark clouds magnifying the scary flashes of lightening, and the hard rain pounding fiercely on the tin roof, echoing the terrifying sound of the relentless thunder sent me to bury my head under my pillow more times I can count.  My Mom was deadly afraid of these tropical storms.  At the sight of the first flash, she would go to the inner most room in our house (houses in Panama do not have a basement), and start her panicky prayers, eyes tightly shut with a blanket over her face.  I have to tell you, seeing my Mom so out of sorts did not help ease my own fears.  It actually put me on an edge of anxiety that I can still feel today every time I hear a thunder rolling in the distance.

Storms are not my favorite.  But, they sure are great illustrations, aren't they?

After all the harshness and accusations and recriminations and humiliation Job has received from his "friends," the Lord speaks.  I just love that subtitle:  The Lord Speaks.  And speak He does.

Chapter 38 starts with what I consider a magnificent combination of words:  "Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm." (Job 38: 1).  

First, let's take a look at the beginning of this sentence: the Lord "spoke to Job."  He addressed him directly.  Intently.  Unmediated. He did not use any emissary.  There were no messengers.  God didn't use any angels or special envoys.  He spoke to Job Himself.  

What a marvelous thought! These 5 little words bring me so much joy and hope.  Job has been enduring the worst of circumstances, only to be aggravated by the "counsel of his friends," and God knows what Job needs.  He knows exactly what will pull Job out of the pit: His voice.  His presence.  The Lord gives us what we need exactly at the precise moment of most effectiveness.  And He knows what we need is Him.  So, He gives Himself freely to us.  He gives Himself to us in the person of Jesus, who broke the veil forever and opened the path between humanity and God for eternity.

But, the magnificence of this sentence does not end there.  Look at the next 4 words:  "Out of the storm."  Out of the storm He spoke.  And, boy, does Job know about storms...he had been beaten by the biggest personal storm recorded in history! The storm has literally taken everything from this man.  But then, we have God speaking out of it.  What does that mean?

Does it mean that God caused the storm? Well, of course not.  We know the devil did.  What we see here is how, no matter how much the enemy wants to run us down, crush us and destroy us, the Lord Almighty is the ONLY Lord of all.  His sovereignty reins over everything, even the storms.  He is the Lord of the storm! And He is in it, the same way He is in the quiet of the sunrise.  And He calms it, the way a Mother hushes the cries of her infant.  He is the Lord of the storm!  And the winds and the waves obey Him. (Matthew 8: 26, Mark 4: 39)

My Lord, and My God!

You are the King of who I am!

May the Holy Spirit increase my faith to allow me to understand that You are in control.  That You do care...that You love me enough to speak to me directly...and that Your Power is enough to calm my every storm as well as all the storms in the entire world.  In the Precious name of Jesus, the One who rebukes the winds and the waves, and hushes my fears.  Amen!

Moments of Thankful Awareness

 My devotional reading this morning began with this line:  "I'm calling you to a life of thankfulness."  It continued: "I want all your moments to be punctuated with thanksgiving.  the basis for your gratitude is My sovereignty." And the kicker was:  "When you criticize or complain you're acting as if you could run the world better than I do." (Jesus Calling by Sarah Young)

So, today, I want to pause the complaining...I want to stop the whining...I don't want to spend time criticizing...I want to have a heart filled with thanksgiving!

It's been a rough semester.  My levels of stress have been very high.  On top of that, I'm losing my beloved Administrative Assistant by the end of this month, and that is making me feel utterly lost.  I caught myself crying in an empty room last night, thinking all these thoughts, feeling completely alone...when a thought ignited in my mind:  you are not alone.  I'm here.  You depend on Me.  That thought surprised me.  It should not have, though...but it did...and the reason these marvelous thoughts surprised me is because too often I don't pause enough to allow myself to hear the soft voice of the Holy Spirit speaking directly to me.  

When the thought startled me enough to make me pause my self-pity party, I immediately recognize it.  In a moment of thankful awareness, I reformulated my prayer...from a panicky "God, what am I going to do? How am I going to survive?"  To a prayer of thanksgiving where I offered the Lord my greatest gratitude for allowing me one year with my Assistant, to have her as my support, my teacher and my guide during the roughest year of my professional life...and for shaking away the feelings of desperation in which I was rapidly sinking.  I thanked Him for making me see that He is my support.  He is the One I depend on.  He is the Only One who will never leave me.  He is My Constant Light.  And, as always, He is the One Who Will Deliver Me...the same way He has done it in the past, He will continue to sustain me for as long as I'm around.

I know it will be hard to complete my term as Chair without my dear Assistant...but I also know that I don't need to panic.  I am not in control.  And for that, I am thankful.  I am not the one running the world.  And for that, I am most grateful.  My thanksgiving is punctuated by His sovereignty.  He is the One Who Rules everything that happens in the entire world as well as in my little existence.  There is no room to fear when we are in the Arms of the Almighty...there is no need to feel lost when we are on the road that has been opened by His Loving Hands.  I trust Your Sovereignty, Lord.  I trust Your Presence.  I trust You will cover me with Your Strength.  Help me live a life of thanksgiving regardless of the circumstances.  In the Precious Name of Jesus.  Amen!

I´m Not the Judge

“If I have denied justice to any of my servants, 

 whether male or female,

when they had a grievance against me,

what will I do when God confronts me?

What will I answer when called to account?

Did not he who made me in the womb make them?

Did not the same one form us both within our mothers? Job 31: 13-15

Have you ever disliked someone so much that you forget they, too, were made by God in His image?  I do.  The last thing I think of when in the midst of my ranting against those that I'm not particularly fond of is that they too have the divine spark that ignited my own life.  Job here in chapter 31 verses 13-15 has, yet again, brought up a point that convicts me.  He has reminded me that I will face the Throne of God one day.  He has reminded me that in that moment, I will have to answer when called to account.  He has reminded me that I will be at a loss when confronted about the times I denied justice to anyone while in a position of power.

But...what if I don't feel like I have denied justice?  Why if they just got what they deserved?  Do I have to answer for their wrongs too?  Don't they have to face the consequences of their actions also?

I guess the answer to all these questions is yes.  The problem is...what I have to truly search my soul for... is my own attitude and my own actions, not theirs.  What I have to realize is:  I am not their judge.  It is not up to me to "give them what they deserve."  It is not I who determines what their consequences are for their actions.  And that is where I fail time and time again:  I usurp God's job by pretending I am the one seated on the throne.

I'm not saying that we are to live our lives ignoring evil, normalizing sin, and compromising the truth.  Absolutely not.  We must live with our eyes open, knowing that the world loves darkness, but that we are children of the Light, and as such, it is our responsibility to not hide it, but to lift it up so it can shine brightly.  The key is: how do we do that?  What does God want from us Christians?  How does He want us to act around those who do not know the truth?

Micah and Paul gave us some clues to this:

And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6: 8b

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. Philippians 2: 3-4

The road to fulfilling what God requires of us is not easy, especially for people like me...people who like to take the role of judge.  I must confess that it is extremely hard for me to be selfless enough to be humble enough to value others above myself.  I have a very hard time putting aside my own interests in favor of the interests of others.  That's why this is so convicting to me.

But, the intention here is not to be paralyzed with guilt.  God allows that feeling of conviction so we realize the error in our ways, and pray for a change.  He makes all things new, even me.  He loves me, and He knows me.  He knows what's in my heart better than I do myself.  And He loves me anyway.  Therefore, my job is to turn my eyes upon Him and pray for guidance so I can begin to walk humbly with Him the rest of the way.  In the Precious Name of Jesus, My Redeemer and My Hope for a better me.  Amen!

Preparing the Ground for Wisdom - More Gems from Job

But where can wisdom be found? Where does understanding dwell? 

Job 28: 12 and 20

 Ever since I knew I would have to add on an administrative position to my teaching duties my soul started rejecting this inevitable reality...so I knew I would need something I didn't have in order to perform it at a decent level:  wisdom.

For months, maybe even a year before I assumed this new position, I began to pray for wisdom so I could perform the added responsibilities of my new situation with a modicum of reason and understanding. As I contemplate my first year into this job...I'm not sure how I would evaluate my performance.  There have been a few highs and plenty of lows...and every time I'm in a low, I wonder, where has wisdom gone...where can I find it?  Why can't I have it? I just don't understand...why do I keep making mistakes upon mistakes...why don't I learn how to make the right decisions...why do I so often find myself using gossip, belittling and complaining about others as a defensive mechanism for my own shortcomings?  Why do I keep ignoring the way I should go and choosing the wrong path?

This is why chapter 28 of the book of Job hit home when I read it.  Job's questions on verses 12 and repeated on verse 20 ring a bell in my soul...I read through, anxiously waiting for the answer...only to find out that nobody knows...not the mortals that inhabit the land of the living, not the deep, not the seas...it can't be purchased with gold or precious jewels or anything that the world deems valuable...so, where is it?  Where can we find this elusive wisdom that is so promised?  James says it in chapter 5: 1

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

How come I've been praying for it, and I still feel as dumb and lost in this job a year in as I did long before I started, when I began praying for it?

sigh...

God understands the way to it

and he alone knows where it dwells. Job 28: 23

Therefore, I cannot pretend to begin to understand how to find wisdom on my own.  It is like Job says, only God understands the way to it...and as such, He leads us to it in His own way.  He gives it freely and out of His own accord...I cannot find it by just looking for it.  He bestows it and He reveals it in His time, when the moment comes...when the soul, the heart and the mind are ready to receive it...

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. James 3: 17

As I read through the attributes of the wisdom that comes from heaven...the one God imparts...the one I have been praying for and waiting to receive...I see I am not ready yet.  My heart might not be ready to enjoy the benefits of wisdom yet...my soul is not ready to embrace this pure wisdom that comes from heaven.  This peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere kind of wisdom that God gives would not find a good dwelling in me at my current state...so it remains elusive.

Perhaps, that's what Job means when he declares in verses 27 and 28:

then he looked at wisdom and appraised it;

he confirmed it and tested it.

And he said to the human race,

“The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom,

and to shun evil is understanding.”

Maybe, it is not enough to pray for wisdom and expect to magically receive it.  Perhaps, we need to add to our prayers that the Holy Spirit will prepare us and turn our desert into a fertile ground...into a soil where wisdom can produce its fruit...maybe my prayer should include that my heart, my soul and my mind become an environment where the wisdom of the Lord can display its purity, its peace-loving, considerate, submissive, merciful, impartial and sincere fruits...

If I think about it.  If I truly examine myself, there the truth will be found:  I am not the fertile ground that wisdom needs in order to flourish.  My pride and my sinful tendencies do not display any of the characteristics of wisdom...

I'm not saying that I need to display these characteristics already in order to receive wisdom, because I believe Scripture, in James in 3: 17 is saying that these characteristics come with wisdom...but, maybe, what I'm reading also is that our hearts have to be willing to accommodate such characteristics.  My heart has to be willing to be pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.  My heart has to fear the Lord and it has to stand against evil and shun it from its premises.  And to tell you the truth...I don't think my heart is ready to do any of these things yet...

deep sigh...

I don't know if I'm right.  I might be completely wrong here.  But it would make sense why I haven't felt that wisdom pouring over me as I walk the treacherous paths of this new position at work.  So, I am going to tweak my petition a bit to include a humble prayer:  Please, Lord, prepare my soul, my heart and my mind to be the fertile soil where Your wisdom may produce its fruits.  Make me ready to receive Your gift of wisdom as You see fit.  In the Precious Name of Jesus, the Source and Perfecter of Our Faith.  Amen

You Are the One We Adore

Are humans really creatures of comfort? I think this human, me, certainly is. My goal in this physical life is to be comfortable and to avoid pain and hardship with all I've got.  I like my life to go as planned...as planned by...well...me!  I think I have a good plan, so I would like to see it to fruition.  And that plan does not have room for loss, anxiety, fear, illness, loneliness, rejection or any of the situations that can cause pain or discomfort.  It's a plan for a good life...a comfy life...and what's wrong with that?  It's a good plan, right?  and a Good God should be on board with that, shouldn't He?  Why would He not want good things for His children? I mean, really!

So, when I read verses like this one...I tremble a little bit inside:

“Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither. The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” Job 1: 21 (King James)

This is the verse that has always made me a bit afraid and hesitant to read the book of Job.  The idea that "the Lord gives" I like.  I'm a supporter of this part of the equation.  I'm ready to crochet it and frame it (if I had the slightest idea of how to crochet).  It is that next part, I'm not so sure about:  "The Lord takes away."  Take away pain and discomfort, YAY!!  But, for some reason, I don't think that's what Job is fully referring to in here.  Rather, Job is stating the fact of God's sovereignty.  He is God, and as such, He rules over everything, and the same way He gives out of His abundance, He also is free to take away anything He wants.  What we have is not ours.  It all belongs to Him who decided to let us have it in the first place.  This earth is not heaven.  We are not in paradise.  This is the waiting room.  So, while in this world, we can expect trouble ... like Jesus said in John 16: 33, right?  UGH! Trouble? Really?  However, I just have to keep on reading.

The other part of that verse contains the redemption we so desperately thirst for:  But take heart, I have OVERCOME the world. (John 16:33b)

That's the truth we hang on to with all of our might.  He has overcome the world, and He who has overcome the world is in us...giving us the strength to say that regardless of whatever might happen to us while in this physical world, we choose to say, "Blessed be the name of the Lord."

The idea of a charmed life is very appealing.  A life where nothing bad happens to us...a life without heart-break, without illness, without tears, without loss, without loneliness, without rejection, without disappointment, without sadness and without any of the things that make us coward in a corner, or bend over in excruciating pain...who wouldn't want that?  A Good and Loving God would certainly want to give that to His own.  Well, He does.  He sent Himself to die for us so we could have that in due time.  In the meantime, we just have to hang on tightly to Him...hang on to the Cross...proclaiming: He is the One we Adore, and He is the One that we Praise.  You give the healing and grace our hearts always hunger for...My Redeemer Lives!  Jesus is my Hope for the abundant life.  In His Precious Name.  Amen!

Thank You for Good Friday

 Today is the commemoration of the day the Jesus was crucified and died on the cross...Good Friday...what a glorious day.  Sometimes, it's easy to wonder why we call it "good" when Jesus died such a horrendous death.  It would have been better if Jesus didn't have to go through such terrible passion...but, the sins of the world are too many, and the price of redemption and of forgiveness is too high.  Only the Precious Blood of Christ can pay it.  And Good Friday is the day He Paid it all...therefore, it is "Good" for us.

Today is the day that Jesus said:   “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23: 34)  Today is the day He breathed His last on this world.  It is the day He committed His spirit into the hands of the Father and gave up His life for us. (Luke 23: 46)  Today is the day, "the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two." (Luke 23: 45).  Today is the day all hope seemed to be lost...when actually, true Hope has just began.  

Today is a Good Day, because it is the day that made possible the direct connection between man and God.  It is the day when Jesus became the bridge and made the gap disappeared.  Today is the day that makes Job's prophetic words possible:  

I know that my redeemer lives,

and that in the end he will stand on the earth.

And after my skin has been destroyed,

yet in my flesh I will see God;

I myself will see him

with my own eyes—I, and not another.

How my heart yearns within me!

Job 19: 25-27

I don't know much, but I know that My Redeemer lives!  He lives, indeed! Praised be His Holy Name!

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.

Isaiah 53: 5

Thank you, Lord Jesus!  Thank You for the Cross.  Thank You for Your Blood.  Thank You for Your Sacrifice.  Thank You for Your Forgiveness.  Thank You for Your Life.  Thank You for Good Friday.  Amen!

Gems from Job

 Do you think human beings are selfish by nature? 

As I continue to read through the book of Job, I'm thinking of that person who always makes it all about herself or himself.  You know that person?  They are the ones who, no matter what you're talking about, they've also gone through that, experienced that, done that, been there.  But, they are also those who get offended when life doesn't revolve around them.  They try to stir the conversation or turn the spotlight back to themselves, when in reality, none of what's happening has anything to do with them.  

Like kids, for instance, they are masters at making it all about them.  In our house, Dylan is mostly that person.  I don't know how many times we have to remind him of the fact that not everything pertains him...Dan always jokes about how Dylan is going to be the kind of husband that tells his wife, while in labor, that now she knows how he feels like when he has indigestion.  

I see this in Job chapter 18 when his other "friend," Bildad speaks.  I mean, Job has just spilled out his guts in chapter 17.  He shows in words how crushed he feels.  It breaks my heart reading him say things like:  My spirit is broken, my days are cut short, the grave awaits me. (Job 17: 1)  The man needs support.  He needs comfort.  He needs the quiet embrace of loving arms.  What does Bilbo Bildad do? He gets offended and makes it about himself:  

“When will you end these speeches?

Be sensible, and then we can talk.

Why are we regarded as cattle

and considered stupid in your sight? 

Job 18: 2-3

I mean, really?  How selfish are these words?  Job is opening up the raw emotions of his heart and soul.  He is completely exposed and 100% vulnerable here.  The last thing he needs is a "friend" to yell at him for expressing his inner most pain.  I don't know about you, but if I don't talk about it, I die.  Job is screaming out for compassion and love.  And Bilbo here only cares about "his precious" ego.  His pride has been hurt because Job has spoken emotional words that have not regarded the friends' high and mighty empty pieties...so now, they are offended.  And they had turned it around so the world knows that they are the ones who have been wronged by this miserable and insensible man.  They would not have it.  They could not let it go.  Letting go would mean they agree with Job...and they cannot, because agreeing with Job would mean they are, indeed, stupid cattle.

What a blessing it is for a person who is in the deepest and darkest corners of the pit to find a sympathetic soul who is willing to sit right there, in the same damp, cold, dark and scary place with them...a person that for a moment, allows us to voice the most profound hurts we carry in our hearts without judgment or reproach.  A person who does not make it about herself or himself, but who instead, knows very well, that this moment is about the hurting...and the hurting is not them.

Fortunately for us, we do have that friend.  Because of our selfish nature, humans will let other humans down.  But it doesn't matter, because we always have Jesus.  And what a friend we have in Him!  He knows what it is like to be led down by your closest of friends.  He knows what it is like to sweat blood and cry bitter tears in the loneliest of spots.  And He will never abandon us.  He will let us vent our hurts with the harshest of words without getting offended.  He can take it all. He already has.  And He did it for love.  

Today, as we approach the commemoration of Jesus' agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, I want to remember this truth:  He stretched out His arms on the cross so I would never, ever have to be alone.  And I pray, that in my selfishness, I can offer a level of comfort to those in need without making it about me.  In the Precious Name of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ, who gave it all for you and me.  Amen!