Gems from Job

In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.

Job 12: 10

It's easy to get discouraged, isn't it?  I know every generation thinks they had it rougher...every era has its own conflicts and life just seems plain difficult in every period of history...but, when you are experiencing it, it's hard not to get caught up on the circumstances and believe we are going through end-of-time-events.  I know...but, boy, sometimes I wonder...I wonder if, perhaps, it will be ours the generation who will finally witness it...

But then, in the midst of gloominess and despair...in the middle of death, decay, injustice and suffering, the Word of God jumps out of the pages of Scripture like a spotlight, breaking through the darkest of nights. And the record of such light is made permanent for the benefit of all who venture into the Bible.

Such is the case of the words of Job, a man stricken by every kind of affliction, whom from his corner of the pit is able to say: "In His hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind." (Job 12: 10)  The beauty of these words is moving.  If I knew how to embroider, these words would be framed all around my house.  They would be in pillows, towels and handkerchiefs so I could keep them in front of my eyes at all times. 

These magnificent words travel through centuries, from one of the oldest books in the Bible, to us today, to rescue us from whatever place of entanglement that we might be trapped in.

This is the declaration of how God is in control.  Our dependence on His Sufficiency is expressed in a most harmonious flow, like a gentle stream or a soft breeze.  God sure knows how to make His presence known in a bombastic way.  Most of the time, however, His presence is tucked in places we often dismiss.  I have never read through the entire book of Job.  I've been too afraid to do that.  So until now, I have missed this gem.  I have missed the very words that can breathe life back into my soul...

So today, I am grateful for the encounter, and I bow down to His Majestic force, as I rest safely under His Merciful wings.  God is in control. God is in control.  God is in control.  Amen!