I know I am not the only one to experience pain, loss, illness, worries, and knowing this usually has me rereading the Book of Job. It is so difficult to fathom the depth of Job’s losses.  Such a man of God, so faithful and still his wife and friends fretted for him and did not see the hand of God at work.

When we are faced with mega trials and suffer illness and perhaps loss of loved ones, do we feel God with us?  …“though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, thou art with me…”

2020 the year of the pandemic and marches and violence and great divisiveness, did you feel God? In Job 11, we read: 

“Still, if you set your heart on Godand reach out to him,
If you scrub your hands of sin
and refuse to entertain evil in your home,
You’ll be able to face the world unashamed
and keep a firm grip on life, guiltless and fearless.
You’ll forget your troubles; they’ll be like old, faded photographs.
Your world will be washed in sunshine,
every shadow dispersed by dawn.
Full of hope, you’ll relax, confident again;
you’ll look around, sit back, and take it easy.
Expansive, without a care in the world,
you’ll be hunted out by many for your blessing.
But the wicked will see none of this.
They’re headed down a dead-end road with nothing to look forward to—nothing.”

I read and reread the part about forgetting your troubles and knowing my world will be washed in sunshine.  I tend to be a “glass half full” kind of person and knowing that I can again be full of hope and that my hope can bless others is a rich gift given to any who “set their heart on God and reach out to Him.”  May we move forward with our lives on this earth and like Job face our world…fearlessly.  Be hopeful in the Lord, He loves you unconditionally.  Feel the sunshine…be confident, full of expectation, just relax.  God’s got this!

Jill