Don't Take for Granted . . .

SCRIPTURE
Job 29:2-6 How I long for the months gone by, for the days when God watched over me, when his lamp shone upon my head and by his light I walked through darkness! Oh, for the days when I was in my prime, when God's intimate friendship blessed my house, when the Almighty was still with me and my children were around me, when my path was drenched with cream and the rock poured out for me streams of olive oil.


OBSERVATION
Job has lost everything - family and servants, wealth and material possessions, his respect and credibility in the community. He feels deserted by God. He feels that God has taken away all of His blessings.

In these verses, Job cries and longs for the days when all of these things were still a part of his life. He acknowledges that all of these blessings were from God and since they have all been stripped from him, he assumes that God is no longer with him.

He indicates that those were the days of his prime. When everywhere he went, God's light lit his way. It would be easy to see how he felt that God was gone. Not only is everything gone, but he is also being falsely accused of wickedness as a result of all of these curses.

How confused Job must have been through all of these trials. Here was a man, living a righteous life suffering horror upon horror! But even in the midst of all of this, Job does not curse nor blame God. He does not reject nor deny God. He merely feels separated from Him.

How often we question God over much smaller things. The Bible tells us our righteousness is like filthy rags. Yet we cringe at the thought of trials and losses much smaller than what Job endured. We are always asking, "why?".

APPLICATION
I think I can use Job as a model for me in two ways. #1 - Don't take for granted the blessings God has given me - family, children, home, provision, credibility, respect, and #2 - when I am feeling cursed or separated from God, realize that He is always there; He is always in control; He loves me more than I can comprehend; He has my best interest at heart; and He will deliver me.

PRAYER
Lord, I offer up a prayer of thanksgiving for all that You have blessed me with! It is more than I deserve. I also ask forgiveness for the many times I have questioned You and pray that I will become totally blind in my faith and trust upon You - at all times and in all situations. AMEN.