We just spent 42 days reading the story of Job. From beginning to end, it's entirely about conversations (And if you know me, you know I love talking with people!)! First, it's angels and God. Then Satan shows up in the conversation. But nothing gets past God. Satan needed God's permission to carry out his plans. Then the entire rest of the book is Job's conversations with his friends and with God. I was intrigued by their conversations and how open and confrontational some of them were. If I were Job, I would want to rethink some of my friendships. But not Job. He loved his friends until the end of the story.
Now about chapters 40-42. I got excited when I found out I would be able to reflect on the last couple of chapters, where we finally hear from God! He pretty much lets Job know that He was God and that everything—EVERYTHING—under heaven belongs to him. What a reassurance that must have been to Job! He almost sounds like he got a new revelation of who God is and he repents. It's like Job trusted Him on a different level. It's at that time that God rescues and blesses him. He restored everything that Job lost: his friendships, his children, his finances, health, and a long life! It doesn't get better than that. It's a beautiful end to a challenging story.
I'm sure we can all relate to Job. We all go through things that are difficult. We all have friends that don't show up the way we want them to. We question God. We suffer physically. And some of us have lost people and family that are very dear to us. But in it all, we need to hear from God in the midst of struggle and believe who He says He is and remain close to Him.
Immediately after Job, we dive right into the Psalms. Like Job, the writers of the Psalms let us in on conversations in the form of prayers, songs, and prophecy. Most of us are familiar with Psalm 1. It is basically a foundation to our walk with God. He promises to watch over us as we actively walk with Him. It is very comforting.
Then we go to Psalm 2. It deals with nations defying God—rebelling against His authority and His leadership. But then he encourages us to know that if we acknowledge and follow Him, God will bless us. I find it interesting that God uses words like “Kiss the Son.” I immediately thought of what it means to me, an expression of love and appreciation to someone because of how much they mean to me. It expresses love. It's a form of worship, showing affection and adoration to God. Αfter this, God laughs, but not in response to a joke or something is funny. He laughs in contempt of the puny efforts of the nations to reject Him and his ways. He laughs because all those who fight against God cannot and will not get away with any of it. They can't escape Him or His plans.
Psalm 3 expresses real fear during the time that David's son, Absalom, tried to attack the king. Even though David was faced with thousands of enemies, at the end of the Psalm, he says that the presence of God allows him to sleep like a baby.
So basically, both Job and David talk to God about their struggles, while at the same time proclaiming God's character. It's declaring who God is to God. This reminded me of a book, He Spoke and I Was Strengthened. The author Dick Mills uses scriptures and prophetic messages to encourage believers in different and difficult circumstances. Many of his short messages remind us about God's character, His promises, and His faithfulness. We should use resources like this in our walk with God or study and search out our own passages to strengthen ourselves.
