E14 - Suffering - Not Why but Who - Part 2 of 3

Hope's Harbor Podcast - Gritty Bible Devotions

God uses suffering as a tool to bring about His glory, and also for our own benefit. For example, He may use the pain that we experience in order to teach us more of who He is or what can be expected from Him when faced with similar situations; this way if you come across someone else going through something difficult like yourself - you'll know how best to help them out. My challenge today would be: take an assessment of yourselves so see all that God has given each one of us!
God often brings sufferings into life because they enable people's faithfulness by teaching lessons on love which are unforgettable experiences. These trials offer opportunities for heavy-hearted individuals to grow closer together and have a deeper understanding of their Lord than before.
Hope’s Harbor Gritty Bible Devotions (Full show notes at hopesharbor.net)

Episode #14 xSrkE4C7zvSxycYa2b9G

Title: Suffering - Not why but who – Part 2 of 3

Date: 7/5/2021

Contact: [e-mail]

Key verses: Job 1:20-22 –

Job 1:20 - Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped.

Job 1:21 - And he said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, And naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD."

Job 1:22 - In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.

Intro: From the devotion in Episode 13 we learned suffering is appointed to us by no less than GOD Himself. We looked at verses in the book of James to see how GOD uses suffering to give us the opportunity to choose joy and submit to having our faith purified and strengthened with endurance and perseverance, that quality of never quitting, of refusing to give up no matter what the circumstances or how bad the pain.

In this week’s episode, we look at how Job acted and reacted to unbearable pain.

Devotion focus:

· Not why but who (Job 1:20-22)

Actually, we know why Job suffered the onslaught of Satan.

And whose doing was it that Job suffered so greatly? Listen to Job 1:8 – ‘Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?"’

GOD provoked it. Almighty GOD picked a fight with Satan and Job felt the brunt of it.

You see, GOD, while operating in the realm of a sin-fallen world used suffering in the life of Job, so that He, GOD, would gain glory over Satan. Job’s weakness became apparent during the pain-filled days and nights and yet with grace he prevailed, and we have the rich book of Job for comfort in our own suffering.

GOD’s powerful Grace became apparent during the ordeal as Job questions GOD’s purposes and fends off the repeated attacks from his self-righteous ‘friends.’ Through it all Job remains faithful to GOD.

How about you and me? I can tell you that in times past when I began to suffer from some event outside my control, I became angry with GOD.

I blamed Him and accused Him of not caring for me, or for a loved one going through a hard time of suffering. Or… when an innocent victim suffered.

One of the worst emergency calls I went to in my 21 years of law enforcement involved the fatal injury of a 2-year-old.

After escorting the med unit to a nearby hospital, the child was airlifted to a medical facility better equipped for the serious injury to that baby. I tousled his hair as the helicopter door closed and stood there as the pilot lifted off and raced away at full power.

Full show notes at hopesharbor.net

Show notes at HopesHarbor.net