Was there ever a time when you sensed the presence of God
and the blessing of God in a much stronger way than you do now? Job longs for
those days throughout Ch. 29. He remembers the days of overt blessing from the
Lord and days of God using him to be a blessing to others (12-16). If so, and
if you feel that God has somehow abandoned you, there are two encouraging words
for you today.
One, if you, like Job, have done nothing to bring this sense
of a loss of fellowship with God into your life. Job was a victim of calamitous
circumstances that were not of his own doing. God had allowed his suffering to
show Satan what a righteous man Job was. If that is the case with you and you
are suffering some unexpected tragedy or struggle in your life then take heart.
For you can know, as we know from the book of Job, that God has not left you or
moved away from you in any sense. He is still a very present help in time of
trouble (Psalm 46:1). He is there for you in your pain as much as he was in
your time of strength (2 Corinthians 12:9). Just call to him and trust that he
is near…even when it doesn’t seem like it.
But there is a word for those in a situation unlike Job’s —
a word for those who themselves have moved away from God because of their own
sin. Are you longing for the days of joy when you walked closely with the Lord?
Then know this. God’s door is always open to you. The pathway back to him has
always been the same. It is the path of repentance. Come to the end of yourself
and turn away from your sin and return to the Lord your God. Call upon Him and
He will answer you. Cry out to Him and He will receive you with open forgiving
arms. Don’t wait a minute more — run quickly to the Lord!
Prayer: Father, thank you that you never leave us nor
forsake us. Thank you that you are steadfast and faithful even when we are not.
Help us, Lord, to know that you are with us in the darkest night of the soul
and giving us your grace. I pray for that one who may have turned from you into
sin. I pray that you will hedge them in with your love and drive them back into
your gracious arms. I pray that they will know the joy and cleansing of your
forgiveness and restoration.
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