Week 21: Seeing or hearing?

This week, the reading plan is as follows:

* Sunday (epistles): II Corinthians 11-13
* Monday (the Law): Exodus 29-32
* Tuesday (history): II Samuel 20-24
* Wednesday (psalms): Psalms 60-62
* Thursday (poetry): Job 41-42
* Friday (prophecy): Jeremiah 42-46
* Saturday (gospels): Luke 5-6

There are many interesting passages this week, including the sinning of the Israelites with the 'golden calf' in the book of Exodus, the injustice against the Gibeonits in II Samuel 21, the last words of David in II Samuel 23, and the ending of the story of Job. This week's SOAP is from the latter passage in Job 42, where Job answers God:

Scripture
Job 42:5-6: "I had heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes. I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance."

Observation
In this passage, Job comes to a turning point in his life. With all the life experience he had, both the ultimate good and the ultimate bad, he still 'had only heard about God', but not seen him. What Job describes here is a 'life-changing encounter' with Almighty God. Job knew all about God. He had lived a godly life, obeying all God's commands, and living blameless in His sight and in sight of the people. Yet he had not 'experienced' God, the way he experienced him now. God had broken him, to the point of despair. When Job was at his lowest point, that's when God 'showed up', to give him a life-changing encounter that would forever change Job's view of God. That is when he says 'I had only heard about you, but now I've seen you'!

Application
What about you? Have you had your life-changing encounter with God yet? Has God allowed you to slip to the bottom of the pit, and when you got there, you found God waiting there for you to forever change your life? I have not had many of those experiences, but the ones that got close to that, I did end up at the bottom and cried out to Him in despair. And I knew God was waiting there for me. Sometimes it takes some time for God to answer, but He always does. He waits till your heart is broken, and till you realize that you need Him to heal it. When you have a broken heart like that, God always shows up to mend it. And when He does, all you can say is what Job said: "I had heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes."

Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for showing up in our lives when we need it most: in our brokenness. Thank you Lord, for breaking us, for helping us realize that we need You in all we do. We can't do it on our own Lord. Please forgive us for the times we thought we could do it ourselves, and help us to always rely on You. We want to see you, Lord, not just 'hear about you'. In Jesus Name. Amen

It's my prayer that you will see and experience the Lord in a special way this week.

In Him,

Dick