Bible Soap

Scripture:

Job 42:5 – My ears had heard of you 
       but now my eyes have seen you.

Observation:

Having now read through the majority of the book of Job over the past 2 months, I am increasingly warming to the interpretation of the book as an ancient morality play of some kind (especially with its reference to the two beasts towards the end in chapters 40-41, Behemoth and Leviathan, none of the interpretations for which I am totally happy with, apart from a mythological one). However, you can’t deny that, as exemplified in the verse quoted above, the book has its fair share of personal revelation for Job. At the end of this period of intense suffering, and this long discourse between him, his friends and finally Yahweh, he knows that he is closer to God than he was before, and that he has been given a gift that others do not have.

Application:

My wife has suffered from depression for several years now, and this, along with other factors, has led her to come to the conclusion that God isn’t there. It’s really hard for me to pray about this these days, but I look at Job’s journey of suffering and his maintaining his faith, and I think about the revelation he has at the end, that now his eyes have been opened to what was going on, and I can’t help but want the same thing for my wife. Sadly, she has not been able to find the strength to stand firm in her faith, but I am convinced that that is not a barrier for God, who can reveal himself when He wants to – and so I pray for the same revelation for her.

Prayer:

God, please please reveal yourself to Heidi, who so desperately needs you, as we all do. Show yourself to be the almighty God, but also the god who wants to be near her on such a personal level. Do it Lord.