“I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear; but now, my eye seeth Thee”
Job 42:5
When I finally finished, In The Master’s Hands; I wanted to conclude with a thought that would summarize the entire process. I knew that there would be a few readers who would never really believe that every daily I wrote was written for me. It did not matter if the devotion appeared cynical, redemptive, lofty, or sad; every one was written with a lesson for me. What I learned was that the only way for you to gain the kind of biblical understanding that is not limited to pleasantries, is for you to do it yourself. –Study, study, study, -learn, learn, learn; then teach, and learn some more.
I had to really sit down and ask myself what the entire writing process was all about. How can the stories contained within the Bible speak to us in today’s culture? Our lives are not about the little dilemmas or even major hardships that we go through, it is about the process. –The discoveries we uncover about ourselves as we go through our ordeals. It doesn’t matter if they are extended bouts of elation, or basic life episodes we consider devastating. In the larger scheme of things they are all the same. It comes down to how we deal with it. It comes down to the impression it leaves on our lives, and whether it defines who we are or who we become. Will the results make us bitter, wicked, vengeful, disobedient, callous, envious, and atheistic; or, will it remind us how fleeting life is, elevating our spirits to offer gratitude, love, forgiveness, humility, generosity, empathy, and devoutness. Although I love the poetry of the biblical book of Job, the story of Job is not my favorite, yet, what I found is, as a Christian in today’s culture, our lives literally come down to the book of Job, chapter and verse. It does not matter what kind of problems Job went through; they were all devastating. Yet, the lesson for us is that, throughout the process of his trials he maintained his devotion to God, recognizing that no matter what occurred, no matter how devastating the event or how he felt day to day, his devotion to God never wavered. –God was still his strength.
No matter how alone Job felt, and how much he questioned God, he knew God was always by his side. That’s what I learned. God is always there right by your side. So, don’t give up. Like all the cyclical storms of the earth, your storm will pass. The question is, How will it leave you? L.
Reference Study: Job 42:5, Job 1:6-12
Excerpt from: "The Lesson Learned." In The Master's Hands: 365 Daily Devotions for Everyday Living.
Copyright © 2014 by Lavona E. Campbell
photo: Cardiff-Peter-Kennelly
RSS Feed
