January 6 - Job 5:17-19

But consider the joy of those corrected by God!

Do not despise the chastening of the Almighty when you sin.

For though he wounds, he also bandages.

He strikes, but his hands also heal.

He will deliver you from six troubles;

in seven no harm shall touch you.

Job 5:17-19

 

Most of us would say that Job is a book of "wounds," "chastening," "troubles," and "stri[ckeness]," and that would be absolutely correct. But how many of us would "consider" that Job is also a book of "joy"?

 

Job = Joy?!!

 

James the Apostle (1:2-4) seems to have the same unusual perspective on joy, saying, "Whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because ... the testing of your faith produces endurance ... so that you may be mature and complete." (I don't know about you, but if "trials" are the path to "complet[ion]," some days I'd rather stay "[im]mature.")

 

Fortunately, both Job and James, are wise enough to realize that it's not "if" the trials will come, but "when."

 

We live in a sinful world, and "the wages of sin is [occasionally, ulitmately, inevitably] death." Nevertheless, God promises that "no [permanent] harm shall touch you."

 

Looking at today's verse, I obviously added the word, "permanent," but isn't that absolutely true! What if we embrace -- with Job and James -- the old cliche: "Anything that doesn't kill you will only make you stronger" ... but ... what if we add the confidence of one more line to this cliche: "And even if trials do kill you, still no real harm will come because you'll be in heaven just that much sooner."

 

Does that make you feel any better?! (Probably not.) But here's the cool part of this verse to me ...Imagine God as a shield. When scripture says, "[The Lord] will deliver you from six troubles; in seven no harm shall touch you," what I hear is, "The Lord -- my shield -- stops six arrows, but even when a seventh happens to get through, it can't cause me any permanent harm." Do you see that in that verse?!

 

How many of us curse the seventh arrow and life's inevitable trials? But what if we thanked him, instead, for his protection from the unseen arrows and the non-permanent wounds.

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy with an invisible umbrella

(therefore, I ought to be singing in the rain)