Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised. ~Job 1:20-21 (NIV)
Sometimes we must drown out the world with worship. Circumstances can scream at us so loud and so steady that we can't even hear ourselves think, much less hear from God. Job amid the most horrible sufferings did just that, He said "may the name of the Lord be praised". Job was described as a pretty good guy in the bible. We are told in Job 1:1 that he “was blameless and upright, he feared God and shunned evil.” (NIV) Job lived life the right way; he honored God, and he loved his family. But that didn’t save Job from having to go through some trouble...major trouble. He lost everything. His health, his wealth and even all 10 of his children died in one day. Job knew pain, but during that pain he demonstrated faith. What do you do when everything seems to be falling apart around you? Do you humble yourself before Almighty God and give praise and thanksgiving for the good days or do you complain to Him under your breath as you try to do anything and everything you can to prevent more trouble and pain? Job accepted God’s providence in his life and chose to worship despite his circumstances. In Job 13:15 he states, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him.” (KJV) Bad circumstances did not tempt Job to stray from his integrity, neither did it cause his hope to lapse. He says in Job 19:23 “Still, I know that God lives—the One who gives me back my life.” (MSG) Job did not allow his circumstances to steal his hope and neither should we. Naked we came into this earth and naked we will depart. Our hope is in the promises God has given us in His word. God tells us in Proverbs 4:20-22 “My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body.” (NIV) In other words, the key to being healthy, wealthy, and wise is to turn your ear away from what this world and your circumstances have to say and turn your ear toward God’s word.
Jesus wasn’t exaggerating when He said John 16:33 “in this world you will have trouble” (NIV), but He finished the sentence with “But be of good cheer! I have overcome the world!” If you want to live an overcoming life, then "cheer up!" and don’t ever let anything steal your hope. Hope is not wishful thinking; it’s being convinced that your future is bright. It's confident assurance that God holds your whole world in His hands. Hope is trusting in God right now no matter how your situation looks. Hope gives us peace in the midst of the storm and brings us joy when we are sad. Worship God today and tell Him you know He has a plan for you, and you know that His plan is good. Remind the Creator of the universe of all the promises He has given you in His word and you will be reminding yourself at the same time. Let that worship restore your hope today. Remember if you are in Christ, you are Abraham’s seed and heirs to the promise!
When God made His promise to Abraham, He backed it to the hilt, putting His own reputation on the line. ~Hebrews 6:13 (MSG)
What do you do when everything seems to be falling apart around you?
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