Year 5, Day 117: Job 23

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Discipleship Focus: Abide

• Abide: This is a moment, day, or even a season when we focus on God.  It is a time when we are rejuvenated by God.  It is the time for us to gather up what we will need for the coming growth after a season of pruning.  However, abiding is not the end.  We abide so that we can grow, bear fruit, prune, and abide again.

I truly think that this whole chapter revolves around Job’s inability to abide with God in the midst of his pain and suffering.  Job complains that he feels that he cannot be in the presence of God.  He cannot talk to God face to face.  He cannot explain his condition to God.

I’ll admit that sometimes abiding is quite difficult.  It can be difficult in the midst of our pain to abide.  It can be difficult in the midst of our worry to abide.  It can be especially difficult to abide in the midst of our doubt.  And if we cannot abide, it is difficult to feel connected to God and feel as though we are able to do anything pleasing to Him.  When we can’t abide, it is easy to feel as though life is pointless and shallow.  I think that’s where Job is today.  He is wrestling with life because he feels as though he cannot be in the presence of God.

However, once more I find that I love Job because he is such a great example of how to wrestle with God.  Even though he is groaning and complaining that he cannot be in the presence of God in order to plead his case, Job is certain that if he could that God would hear him.  Job is certain that God would listen.  He is certain that God would provide an answer that would make it all make sense.

This is why I love Job.  Job is honest with himself.  He can’t abide.  He is struggling with life and struggling to make sense of it all.  He doesn’t understand what on earth God is doing and why it is happening to him.  But through it all, he does not lose faith.  Whether he can abide or not, Job maintains the belief that if he could abide then it would be exactly what he needs right now.  Job is faithful to the fact that he knows that he just needs time with God.  Job is faithful to the truth that to make sense of life we need to have our moments in the presence of a living God.

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