“Yet if you devote your heart to him
and stretch out your hands to him,
if you put away the sin that is in your hand
and allow no evil to dwell in your tent,
then, free of fault, you will lift up your face;
you will stand firm and without fear.
You will surely forget your trouble,
recalling it only as waters gone by.
Life will be brighter than noonday,
and darkness will become like morning.
You will be secure, because there is hope;
you will look about you and take your rest in safety.
You will lie down, with no one to make you afraid,
and many will court your favor.
But the eyes of the wicked will fail,
and escape will elude them;
their hope will become a dying gasp.”
(Made into two paragraphs for my intent of making a point)
When I read these words spoken to Job from Zephar (11.13-20 NIV), I felt myself captivated by them. How many of us find ourselves sharing a similar message that is contained in the first paragraph (verses 13-19) daily, especially to those we care about? We yearn for those that we love to find the same peace and salvation in Christ as we have. So we go above and beyond, pouring out messages of hope of all of the beautiful things He promises us. Flooding social media with posts overflowing with all the joyful, inspiring, well received parts of the Word.
But yet, I notice we are so quick to shy away from anything that resembles the last verse in his speech to Job. So many of us would have been quick to cut this message off at verse 19 with absolutely no second thought put into it even though I believe it was purposely included at the end as a blatant reminder and eye opener of sorts. I believe we have grown so accustomed to beautifying God’s Words so that they are more readily accepted, that we tend to leave out the “rough around the edges” parts forgetting that they still need to be heard. That they too serve a much needed purpose in delivering God’s Word unto us, and without putting them all as a whole, we are truly not giving His words the sustenance He intended for them.
For me, while the beautiful verses offered tranquility and peace as they lead to hope, it was the harsher words in the last verse that offered me an odd sense of “comfort” for a lack of a better word. I’m sure many of you are now scratching your head while believing I’ve completely fallen off of my rocker, so I’ll attempt to explain before y’all are quick to commit me.
“But the eyes of the wicked will fail, and escape will elude them; their hope will become a dying gasp.” As a follower of Christ and having a relationship with Him, knowing my heart is pure and that it belongs to Him, I know that that statement is the complete opposite of everything He has promised to me and to anyone who is His. I, as well, know that it doesn’t apply to me, but I do recognize and respect the implication within it.
But, I also know that it is by His love and strength that I will not fail, and that my faith and hope in Him will forever keep me afloat. I know that with Him guiding me there will never be any need to escape because each step of the way is already planned out by Him and He will see me safely to where I am meant to be.
What His word teaches us is exactly what helps me find peace from verses that would typically spark fear or unrest in others. And the more that I learn the more that I find comfort in ALL of His words, even in the scariest parts (y’all know that Old Testament can be intimidating, don’t flex on me now!). I can’t help but to think that we need to spend more time sharing all of the important parts of what was said, not just the pretty parts, because there are a lot of things that get overlooked these days out of fear of stepping on toes, or pushing people away.
Maybe if we changed our way of thinking on “how” we go about teaching those parts that we’ve shied away from vs. just avoiding them all together, we can make some headway with those that run from Him. Particularly when it’s from not understanding any of it to begin with, or those untaught parts that they often see misquoted, or being taught the wrong thing by those who, themselves, have not a clue.
“We can’t teach about God and His Word but continue to omit the parts that may make others uncomfortable. Just as us, in time they too will find comfort in those parts as they grow to understand the full implications and meaning behind His Words. So let us begin to spread his word amongst all and share not just the pretty parts, but all of Gods word. We need to stop cherry picking the Bible as it suits US and glorify Him as He has asked us to. The time is now, no more sitting around, rise up, I said rise up, and be heard.”
Billie is a 40-something stay-at-home momma of five beautiful children and Grammy to three grandchildren. When not wrangling the littles, she babysits for her two adult children. You will find her gardening, canning, baking, and making the most delicious meals for her family. Billie is a multitasker juggling a team of miniature tyrants, a cat, a snake, two dogs, two rats, and nine chickens. In her spare time, she enjoys reading and studying her bible. Her passion is sharing the gospel through her writing! So, whether she’s feeding your body with delicious meals or feeding your soul through her writing, join Billie as she takes you on a journey providing you with “Food for Thought.”
by leaps and bounds 
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