Focus

Stop and thank God for being present with you today. Ask for God’s guidance as you hear God’s voice through scripture and the writer.

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Read

Job 37:10-13 (NRSV)

By the breath of God ice is given,
and the broad waters are frozen fast.
He loads the thick cloud with moisture;
the clouds scatter his lightning.
They turn round and round by his guidance,
to accomplish all that he commands them
on the face of the habitable world.
Whether for correction, or for his land,
or for love, he causes it to happen.

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Reflect

Job was in the very midst of trials and tribulation, having lost everything except his faith. He saw all that happened to him, and all that happened around him, as God’s plan. His own comfort did not outweigh God’s purpose.

In Job’s time, weather was quite mysterious, unpredictable, and deadly in ways that we cannot comprehend today. We have sturdy shelters to protect us, heat & air conditioning for comfort, and weather radar for advanced warnings. Our lives are insulated from the elements. Job had almost nothing to protect himself from the world except his belief that whatever happened to him was due to God’s love, or for the bigger plan. Whether he was comfortable, safe, or even alive, God was in control, so it was okay. To Job, the world and God’s plan were much bigger than his own life.

Most of us live as if we are more important than God, and that our own needs are more important than the needs of others. We are afraid that if we give, we will have less. Job knew that the material and personal things could not enhance his life, only God could. We can give control to God as well. It is not easy, but it is possible.

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Pray

Lord, from the beginning of time you have been in control over all. Help us to rest securely, knowing that if we give up our own control you can do amazing things in our lives. We can live in peace knowing that your love will be with us, no matter what is going on around us. Amen.

Go with God.