“I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.” Job 23:12 (NIV)
Do you know that admitting your hopelessness to God can be a statement of faith? Trusting God but feeling despair at the same time, David wrote, “I believed, so I said, ‘I am completely ruined’” (Psalm 116:10 NCV).
This sounds like a contradiction: I trust God, but I’m wiped out! David’s frankness actually reveals deep faith. First, he believed in God. Second, he believed God would listen to his prayer. Third, he believed God would let him say what he felt and still love him.
Regardless of your circumstances and how you feel, hang on to God’s unchanging character. Remind yourself of what you know to be eternally true about God: He is good, he loves you, he is with you, he knows what you’re going through, he cares, and he has a good plan for your life. The late Raymond Edman, who was president of Wheaton College, once said, “Never doubt in the dark what God told you in the light.”
When Job’s life fell apart and God was silent, Job still found reasons to praise God. You can praise God for these same reasons:
During times of spiritual dryness, patiently rely on the promises of God, not your emotions. And realize that he is taking you to a deeper level of maturity, because a friendship based on emotion is shallow.
So don’t be troubled by trouble. Circumstances cannot change the character of God. God’s grace is still in full force; he is still for you, even when you don’t feel it. In the absence of confirming circumstances, Job held on to God’s Word. He said, “I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread” (Job 23:12 NIV).
This trust in God’s Word caused Job to remain faithful even though nothing in his life made sense. His faith remained strong in the middle of pain, and God honored and restored Job because of it.
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