Job 32:6: “So Elihu, the son of Barachel the Buzite, answered and said: ‘I am young in years, and you are very old; therefore I was afraid, and dared not declare my opinion to you.’”

December 27th, 2023 by Pastor Ed in devotional

In this chapter we discover that there were others listening to the dialogue going on between Job and his 3 friends. In the Hebrew text, we are told 4 times that this young man, Elihu, was angry. We could argue that he was the original “angry young man.” He appeared to be wise in that he waited to speak. Perhaps he had heard the same kind of things we all heard when we were younger: “Mind your elders, boy!” or “I just don’t know what’s wrong with this younger generation! They have no respect at all!” Many of today’s youth are impatient to be adults, and are therefore impatient with adults who, they feel, are holding them back. It can be very frustrating to be young and not taken seriously or have your opinion considered, even in church.

We who are now older need to remember that God has often spoken through the young, like Jeremiah, Shadrach, Meshach, Abed-Nego, and the Apostle John. Why does God seem to prefer to use the young? Perhaps because they are not so beaten down that they have a thousand reasons why something new won’t work. They are more mobile because they usually have fewer responsibilities. They have more energy and are more idealistic, so they’re more likely to simply take God at His word and follow Him, even if it seems crazy. Nevertheless, they need discipleship from those who are more mature in the faith. When was the last time we encouraged a young believer?

“LORD, give us eyes today to see that young person in the faith who needs encouragement. Give us a heart to help them become everything You want them to be.”