Job's Two Requests of God
As we have seen, Job knew He was righteous before God, so that the pain he was enduring was not because of sin. However, he was very confused about what was happening, and his suffering was intense. In the midst of it all he still trusted God. Then, He made two requests of God, because without these two things he would have to hide from God. (Job 13:20,21) I think these two requests show us a lot about God and His care for us.
Job asked God not to removed His hand from him. That is remarkable! God was allowing Satan to inflict great pain and loss, but Job knew that God's hand was still on him. He was still experiencing the presence of God. Yes, he wanted to talk with God about his situation, and God was not talking yet, but God had not left him or removed His hand from him. Also, Job requested that God would not let the dread of God terrify him. That is profound! God is awesome in His power, and we are to have a fear or dread of God in the sense that we have great respect for Him and what He could do to us. However, He never wants us to dread Him so much that we are terrified of Him. We should never think that God is scary. He always acts in love, even in Job's case. It was just taking a while for Job to see the end of what God was allowing. Then, he would know the goodness of God in his life again. In the meantime it was enough that God's hand was on him, and he was not terrified of God, because He knew His loving heart. I believe all believers can be assured of these two things, no matter what happens in our lives.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Job 14-16.
Job asked God not to removed His hand from him. That is remarkable! God was allowing Satan to inflict great pain and loss, but Job knew that God's hand was still on him. He was still experiencing the presence of God. Yes, he wanted to talk with God about his situation, and God was not talking yet, but God had not left him or removed His hand from him. Also, Job requested that God would not let the dread of God terrify him. That is profound! God is awesome in His power, and we are to have a fear or dread of God in the sense that we have great respect for Him and what He could do to us. However, He never wants us to dread Him so much that we are terrified of Him. We should never think that God is scary. He always acts in love, even in Job's case. It was just taking a while for Job to see the end of what God was allowing. Then, he would know the goodness of God in his life again. In the meantime it was enough that God's hand was on him, and he was not terrified of God, because He knew His loving heart. I believe all believers can be assured of these two things, no matter what happens in our lives.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Job 14-16.