Devotional: Suffering

My bible study lately seems to focus on human suffering.

Without thinking about what I was reading, I have read the books of Job, Ruth and Lamentations. Each of those to a degree have dealt with human suffering.

In Job, Satan is allowed to strip Job of everything but his life so that Satan could test Job's allegiances to God. Despite Job's suffering: losing his land and all that he owned, losing all of his children, and losing his wife- Job was still able to remember that God was in charge and that even though he hadn't sinned, he knew that God had a reason for what he was doing and kept praising God(although very frustrated with his predicament).

In Ruth, Naomi loses all of the men in her life. In those times, the men were the ones that owned everything. Therefore nothing belonged to the women (Naomi and her daughters-in-law). When Naomi told them women to go back to their families so that they will be able to have families with someone else, Ruth said she would not leave Naomi and instead became the worker in order to care for herself and her mother-in-law. Through Ruth's faithfulness to Naomi the family was once again blessed.

In Lamentations, the people of the city of Jerusalem have sinned and defiled the city. The suffering in this book was more of a punishment to the people of the city for not following the word of God.

Some of the scriptures that spoke to me are as follows:
3:19 I remember my affliction and my wandering,
the bitterness and the gall.

20 I well remember them,
and my soul is downcast within me.

21 Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:

22 Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.

23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

24 I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him."

32 Though he brings grief, he will show compassion,
so great is his unfailing love.

33 For he does not willingly bring affliction
or grief to the children of men.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3:40 Let us examine our ways and test them,
and let us return to the LORD.

41 Let us lift up our hearts and our hands
to God in heaven, and say:

42 "We have sinned and rebelled
and you have not forgiven.

(Forgiveness has to be requested...One can't just expect to be forgiven without repentance)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3:55 I called on your name, O LORD,
from the depths of the pit.

56 You heard my plea: "Do not close your ears
to my cry for relief."

57 You came near when I called you,
and you said, "Do not fear."

(Call upon the Lord and the Lord will save you from your iniquities.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
5:5 Those who pursue us are at our heels;
we are weary and find no rest.
(We must find rest in Jesus himself.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ok the following excerpt is from a book that was recently given to me called "Starting Your Best Life Now" by Joel Osteen.

Declare God's Favor
Joesph was a young man with a heart full of dreams when his brothers sold him into slavery. Think of being hauled away to Egypt, mistreated, taken advantage of, unjustly accused of rape, and thrown into prison. But the Bible says,"The favor of God was upon Joesph"(Genesis 39:5-23). Despite overwhelming adversity, and no matter what people did to him, he continued to prosper and eventually was put in charge of all Egypt's agricultural affairs.

Ruth was a young widow providing care for her mother-in-law, Naomi, and they were practically starving during a severe famine. Yet Ruth found "favor" with the owner of the grain field (Ruth 2:10), and eventually she and Naomi's dire circumstances turned around, and their needs were supplied in abundance.

When you are living under God's "favor," our favor minded, the Bible says, God's blessings and "love chase after me every day of my life"(Psalm 23:6 The Message). IN other words, you won't be able to outrun the good things of God. Everywhere you go, things are going to change in your favor. Every time you turn around, somebody's going to want to do something good for you.

The favor of God to us in the midst of life's challenges. Inless than a year, the Old Testament character Job lost everything--his family, his business, and his health. He lived in perpetual pain. But in the midst of that dark hour, Job said to God, "You have granted me life and favor"(Job 12:10 NKJV). Amazingly, Job was not delivered, healed, and set free until chapter42! But at the very beginning, when his circumstances appeared most helpless, Job was saying, "God, I don't care how bad the situation get. Your favor is going to turn it around." No wonder God restored to Job twice what he had before!

QUIET YOUR HEART AND RECIEVE GOD'S WORD: "Set your hope wholly and unchangeable on the grace(divine favor)that is coming to you" (1Peter 1:14 AMP)

When you are going through tough times, even if your situation looks impossible, stay in an attitude of faith. Before long God's favor is going to show up, turning that difficult situation around to your benefit. Stay in an attititude of faith and declare the favor of GOd instead of being discouraged and developing a sour attitude. One touch of God's favor can turn everythng around in your life.
______________________________________________________________________________

I decided to add that passage becasue I read it after reading everything and it eliquently stated what was going though my mind through my reading.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lord Jesus,

Thank you for giving your life for every single person on this Earth. Thank you for being faithful to us even when we are not faithful to you. Lord Jesus, please forgive me for not trusting that everything that has happened and is happening is in your perfect will. Lord, please help me to see your faithfulness and undying love in this very hard time. Lord Jesus, I pray that soon I will see the divine favor you have for my life. I also ask that you show me the fork in which you wish for me. What is your will for my life? PLease Lord, forgive me for not being faithful to you and to my prayer life. I know that prayer is the one way we are able to talk to you and have a relationship with you. I am trying to change my ways Lord, but I am not strong. I only have strength in you to continue on days that are hard...please pick up the book for me on those days and show me that is what you want from me Lord. Lord Jesus, thank you for the word you have given me and thank you even more for takng my headache away so that I could concintrate on your word Lord. I love you Lord and I pray all of this in Jesus' name. Amen!