Never Ending Praise The Lord

Good morning!

A small apology for being absent last week! I was recovering from being sick [can you believe I had covid again?] I chose to work on just healing for a couple weeks and did not get an opportunity to work on my next devotion.

I will be working on it this week, however but I thought I would come write some thoughts. I have still been spending mornings with God, and he has done so many great things in my heart, and I wanted to share.

I recently finished the book of Job. It was my second time reading it, but this time I actually meditated on it, took notes as I often do, and really studied it. Most of us think of Job as a depressing or boring book of the bible. When I read it in the summer of 2024, I definitely had those same thoughts. It was interesting because I only read Job the first time because I felt prompted daily by the Holy Spirit. What I didn’t know then, was that God was preparing me for a very difficult season. I was really sick and also dealing with some other really scary things at the time.

I would be lying if I said I handled that period with grace and patience. I didn’t think about what I had read in Job that summer at all. There were times I felt God had abandoned me, much like Job did. Had I truly understood the book of Job, I might have realized that God had simply allowed a very limited amount of opposition in my life to draw me close to him, refine me and build me into the person he intended me to be. Unfortunately, like Job, I was scared, depressed, and a little lost. My faith at the time was a little shaky anyway because of how things had been for the past few years.

I can tell you now, having studied Job in more depth and detail, I really understand what God did at that time and I am bewildered at his goodness.

As I came upon Job 23, I was able to really relate to his words in verses 8-10. We look for God in a multitude of ways and think ‘I can’t find him.’ And it leaves us feeling forsaken and abandoned by him. But I want to leave you with this. Verse 10 says, “But he knows the way i take, when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.”

He hasn’t forsaken you. He hasn’t abandoned you. He is moving you in ways you don’t even understand yet. Only precious metals like gold and silver are typically put in the fire. So when you go through it, remember these things.

1. You are more precious than gold.
2. The fire refines you
3. He is carrying you through and you will come forth as gold. You are not forgotten, there is purpose in the crisis, it will come to an end, and something good will come from all of it.

Sending love and prayers. Stay tuned for the next part of The Armor Of God.