I love what chronic illness writer Kayle Buchanan has written:
I know not everyone is a person of faith, but for those of you that are… I needed this reminder this week. I hope you find it an encouragement.
Job 23:8-10
“Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him: On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him: But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.”
During trials, it is often easy to feel like Job. No matter where we look, it’s like we can’t see God; we feel like He’s hiding from us. We go to church and we don’t feel like we can see Him. We read our Bibles, and we don’t feel like we’re hearing from Him. We pray, and we feel like we’re talking to the wall. The questions and doubts and fears hurled at us by the devil can seem so overwhelming that you find yourself lost in a pit of despair. But Job made the right statement when he said, “On the left hand, where He doth work, but I cannot behold Him.” Job knew and trusted that God was working, even when He couldn’t see God working and couldn’t understand why God was allowing this. Job knew that God knew what was in store for him and Job had faith that his God would not allow this for no reason. He knew that through this time, God would change him for the better.
It’s hard to stare adversity in the face and choose to accept that God knows what He is doing. It’s difficult to see through the smoke of your fiery trial and rest in the fact that God has it all under control. It’s not easy to push through when your emotions refuse to catch up with what you know. But God knows it’s hard, difficult, and not easy. He knows the ins and outs of the path you’re walking down right now and is there to see you through it – whether you can see Him or not. His grace is sufficient for you and for me, because His grace is made perfect in our weakness (2 Cor. 12:9).
—Kayle Buchanan
Thank you for being a guest on my blog, Kayle. Your words really ministered to me.
Christa Upton Black Hills Picture Books Edgemont, SD 57735
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