Job 24:25: “Now if it is not so, who will prove me [Job] a liar, / And make my speech worth nothing?”

December 19th, 2023 by Pastor Ed in devotional

The arguments Job’s friends brought over and over again against him were simply not true. He had proved that and yet they persisted in their belief. His continued challenge of their theories didn’t abate their attack against him. The wicked do often prosper on this earth, and the godly, the innocent, do often suffer; but those trials and sufferings can make the believer stronger. The reality is that good things happen to both good and bad people, and bad things happen to both good and bad people. That is the reality of life all around us, every day, and no person, who is honest with themselves, can prove otherwise. But calamity doesn’t come from God. Lamentations tells us: “For He does not afflict willingly, / Nor grieve the children of men” (3:33). God desires to be a comfort to those who are struggling and sorrowful.

There is an ancient Chinese legend of a mother whose son died. The mother went to an old sage and asked him for a magic potion to bring her son back to life so she could get beyond her paralyzing grief. The sage said that for such a potion he needed her to bring him a mustard seed from a home that had never known sorrow or loss. So she set out to find such a seed. She went from house to house; but regardless of where she went, whether a mansion or a hut, every home had known sorrow and loss. As she heard people tell her of their losses, she thought to herself, “Who better to help these grieving people than I, who have lost my son?” So she spent time in each home, listening and helping those who had loved and lost. She never found the mustard seed, but it no longer mattered. Her loss changed her in a way that enabled her to help others. In a small way, this non-Christian story points us to what Jesus wants His followers to do for those who have suffered and lost. Our sufferings should first take us to the foot of the cross. Then, after we have been healed and restored, we should find ourselves better equipped to help lead others to Jesus.

“LORD, please use us to bring someone closer to You this day.”