Job 9:10

Verse of the Day Devotion: Job 9:10

“Who does great things, unfathomable, And wondrous works without number.” – Job 9:10

This verse speaks to God’s all-powerful ways.  What Job is saying here is that there is nothing He cannot do.  This is important to remember when we go through difficult times, especially when there is nothing, we can think of to get out of the terrible situation.  There is nothing He does not know, there is nothing He cannot do, and there is no place He is not present.  And because of this, what Job declares is absolute truth.

First, God is omniscient.  He knows everything.  “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, ‘My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure” Isaiah 46:10.  From the very beginning of the universe, and even before it’s creation, He knew us.  He knew when we would be born, and everything about us.  He knew we would sin, and He provided the means for reconciliation before the world, and everything was created.  “For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you. “1 Peter 1:20. He knows when we will be troubled or forlorn and is there to encourage us.  He knows when we will praise and lift Him up and will be there to receive it.  Nothing surprises God because we cannot be surprised by what we already know. There will never be a time when He is late or never shows up.

Next, He is omnipotent.  He is all powerful.  “For nothing will be impossible with God.” Luke 1:37 He created everything that exists.  “All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.” John 1:3. He has created all things we see and will never see.  No matter what we are going through, He will bring us through.  No one can defeat Him, and no one can prevent Him from doing anything or make Him do anything.  He divided at least two bodies of water such that His people walked across on dry land.  He saved the Israelites from many empires and will eventually deliver us from this world and take us to live with Him forever.

And finally, He is omnipresent.  He is everywhere.  “Am I a God who is near, declares the LORD, And not a God far off?  Can a man hide himself in hiding places, So I do not see him?” declares the LORD. “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares the LORD.”  Jeremiah 23:23-24.  Wherever we go, God is there.

Wherever we are not, God is there.  There is never a place He cannot hear our cries or our thoughts.  Moreover, He is in us as Christians.  He is never too far away that we must wait for Him to get to us.

Since God is all powerful, all knowing and everywhere at each moment, there is no reason we should be fearful, anxious, or worried.  This is why we can trust Him in everything.  “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.”  Proverbs 3:6. What a great life we can live if we take our focus verse to heart and be fully content no matter what. William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries, Inc.

Job 42:2

Verse of the Day Devotion:  Job 42:2  

“I know that Thou canst do all things, and that no purpose of Thine can be thwarted.” – Job 42:2  

Job was a man that endured more than I could ever imagine.  In chapter one, he loses everything that He owned.  He lost all his property and all his children. This is an amazing story of a man who withstood the greatest test imaginable. And after all that happened to Job in chapter one, it says “Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.” Job 1:22.

In Job up through chapter 37, Job is tested by Satan.  Then in chapters 38 through 41, God goes to Job and asks a series of questions, showing Job that he has no understanding of Him at all.  “Who is this that darkens counsel By words without knowledge? Now gird up your loins like a man, And I will ask you, and you instruct Me!” Job 38:2. God is informing Job that He does not truly speak what he knows. The theologian Adam Clarke puts it this way. “As if he had said, who art thou who pretends to speak on the deep things of God, and the administration of his justice and providence, which thou canst not comprehend; and leaves my counsels and designs the darker for thy explanation?” In other words, speaking without understanding what he is speaking about. How often do we see this happening today?

Then God tells Job to get ready for He is going to ask him some questions. “Now gird up your loins like a man, And I will ask you, and you instruct Me!” Job 38:3. Notice the words “and you instruct me. Here are a few of the questions God asked him. “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding,” Job 38:4. “Who set its measurements, since you know? Or who stretched the line on it?” Job 38:5. And then finally, “Have you ever in your life commanded the morning, and caused the dawn to know its place?” Job 38:12.

Then after all the questions were asked, Job fully understood that he really did not understand. Then in an act of repentance we read in our focus verse, “I know that Thou canst do all things, And that no purpose of Thine can be thwarted.” Job 42:2.  Now. remember the question asked by God in chapter thirty-eight where God started asking His series of questions, “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?  well, Job now answers God.  “Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge? Therefore, I have declared that which I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.” Job 42:3. Then he says to God, “Hear, now, and I will speak; I will ask Thee, and do Thou instruct me. Hear, now, and I will speak; I will ask Thee, and do Thou instruct me. Therefore, I retract, and I repent in dust and ashes.” Job 42:4-6.  The meaning of repenting in ‘dust and ashes’ has the idea of repenting in humility before the Lord and His greatness.

We must be careful how we view our knowledge of God and His ways.  Things we can know is that God loves us, cares for us, and desires a strong relationship with us. This is clear.  But do we know why God does one thing rather than another?  Not always, but we can trust that what He allows in good. “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28. We do not have to know everything, for God does and He will protect us and make good come from bad. And finally, the prophet Isaiah puts it well when he declared, “Remember this, and be assured; Recall it to mind, you transgressors. Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, ‘My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure.” Isaiah 46:8-10.

In closing, we cannot always know why things happen or why they do not. For only God knows all things.  But what we can know is that God is in control, and because He loves us, we can know that everything that happens is for our good.  Let us be careful that we do not assume what we deem as bad is bad, for God may mean it for our good. And alternately, let us be careful that we do not assume what we deem as good is necessarily good, we can pray that God will remove our trials and tribulations from us. However, we should remember the prayer Jesus prayed just prior to His arrest. “And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, saying, “Father, if Thou art willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Thine be done.” Luke 22:41-42.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Job 1:21

Verse of the Day Devotion:  Job 1:21 

“He said, naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD.” –  Job 1:21

Job in this verse is dealing with extreme loss, more than most, if not all, in this world has ever experienced.  He lived in the land of Uz, and based on Job 1:1, he “was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil.” Job 1:1b.  He had ten children, seven sons and three daughters and many possessions including seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred oxen and five hundred female donkeys.  He also had many servants who worked for him to take care of all these animals and other things Job owned.  In verse three he is declared by the writer as “the greatest of all men of the east.” Job 1:3b. 

Now one day Satan came to God, who spoke to Satan saying, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.” Job 1:8. God said there was no one like him in all the earth, blameless and upright more than anyone else on the earth.  Satan responded by saying, “Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.” Job 1:9b-10.  Satan was essentially saying you have fortified him with spikes and spears. You have defended him with an unapproachable hedge. He is an object of your specific care and is not exposed to the common trials of life.  He then adds the following.  “But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face.” 

God then responds to him by saying, “Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him.  So, Satan departed from the presence of the LORD.” Job 1:12. Then Satan goes to work.  First, the Sabeans came and stole all the donkeys and oxen and killed the servants tending them.  Then, according to a servant who came to him, fire fell from the sky which he called “the fire of God” and burned up all the sheep and the servants in the field, consuming them.   Then the Chaldeans took all the camels and killed all the servants with them.  Then worst of all, “While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, and behold, a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people and they died, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” Job 1:18-29. 

Because of all this, Job lost everything he had.  He lost all his oxen and donkeys, his sheep, his camels and all his servants.  And worst of all, his ten children were killed when the house they were meeting at collapsed due to heavy winds that came upon it.  And because of all this, he tore his garments, shaved or pulled out the hair of his head and threw dust or ashes on his head, and fell on the ground, which were acts by which immense grief was expressed. Job must have felt the bitterness of anguish when he was told that, in addition to the loss of all his property, his children suffered a terrible death.

However, his response was not what Satan expected.  “He said, Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD.” Job 1:21 which is our focus verse.  Notice what happened here.  Job did not point to the evil men or the natural disasters that took everything away.  This would not have eased the sorrow he felt, but he looks at a higher place.  He chose to look to the Sovereign Lord of the universe and to put his trust in God’s goodness.  At times, God allows hard times to impact those who love Him, and during these times we must cling to the truth that God is good.  God is sovereign, and nothing could happen that God does not know about.  When the Lord gives, we must praise Him and be thankful.  And when the Lord takes away, we must also praise Him and be thankful.  We must always remember, no matter what happens, God has our best interests at heart.  “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28.   We may mourn our losses, whether they be things or loved ones, however, we must remember that God loves us more than we can understand and therefore works in everything on our behalf.  So, no matter what happens, we must always look to Him and, as Job declared in our focus verse, “The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD.” Job 1:21b. 

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Job 2:10

Verse of the Day Devotion: Job 2:10 

“But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.” – Job 2:10

Job was a man of great wealth.  “His possessions also were 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and very many servants; and that man was the greatest of all the men of the east.” Job 1:3.  He also had seven sons and three daughters, as well as his wife.  They were very, very prosperous.

However, after a time, Satan speaks to God and tells Him success is the reason for his devotion.  “Then Satan answered the Lord, “Does Job fear God for nothing?  “Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. “But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face.” Job 1:9-11.  So God tells him to do what he wants with what he has, but do not touch him.  When you read on, you will see that all his possessions were lost, all his servants and animals.  He also lost his house which collapsed because of a wind storm which killed his children.  And what was Job’s response?  “Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped. He said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.” Job 1:20-22.  Notice that it was said of him he did not sin or blame God.

Satan goes to God again and tells God “Satan answered the Lord and said, “Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. “However, put forth Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh; he will curse You to Your face.” Job 2:4-5. Satan came back and said, well man will give everything for his own life, however, seriously affect his own body and health, and he will curse you.  So God says, So the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your power, only spare his life.” Job 2:6  So what was Satan’s response?  “Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. And Job took a potsherd to scrape himself while he was sitting among the ashes.” Job 2:7-8.  These were extremely painful, and it became worse as he scraped on them with a broken piece of pottery.  He did this either to bring some relief or to cut himself as a sign of mourning. “Since you are the people of the Lord your God, never cut yourselves or shave the hair above your foreheads in mourning for the dead.” Deuteronomy 14:1. 

Job’s wife responds with a sarcastic rhetorical question.  In essence she says, “After all that has happened are you still faithful?” or put another way, “In spite of all the suffering, are you still loyal to God?”  However, Job entirely rejects her advice.  In our focus verse, we read Job’s response in the form of a question.  “Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?”. 

This is a hard question to answer.  We love getting good things from God.  When God blesses us with a sum of money, we willingly give thanks to Him.  But when adversity comes, such as losing a job, we choose not to give Him thanks.  Back in March of 2018, I was laid off from my job in order for them to cut their costs.  It was definitely sooner than I was ready for.  And what made it worse was not finding another job.  However, it is amazing how God has worked in my life.  I am now doing what I always wanted to do,  working in ministry through True Devotion Ministries. 

When good things come your way, consider it a blessing and give thanks to God.  And when adversity comes, consider it also a blessing and give God all the thanks, and look forward to the blessings God will provide on account of this adversity.  Remember, God does not allow hard times to come unless He has a good reason, and we must always trust God that He knows what He is doing.  All things that God has us experience is for our good.  “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28.  So, instead of focusing on what is happening, we should focus on what God has in store for us in the future.

And spoiler alert.  “The Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the Lord increased all that Job had twofold. … The Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; and he had 14,000 sheep and 6,000 camels and 1,000 yoke of oxen and 1,000 female donkeys.  He had seven sons and three daughters.” Job 42:10, 12-13.  And to close out, “After this, Job lived 140 years, and saw his sons and his grandsons, four generations. After this, Job lived 140 years, and saw his sons and his grandsons, four generations.”  Job 42:16

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Job 34:12

Verse of the Day Devotion: Job 34:12 

“Surely, God will not act wickedly, And the Almighty will not pervert justice.” – Job 34:12    

This is an interesting verse which is just as true today as it was back then.  This was said by Elihu, who was not one of the three friends (Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite,  who came to be with Job during his troubles.  This verse brings forth a great truth that we need to always remember: God does not do anything evil and He does not act unjustly.

Elihu was terribly angry when it came for his time to speak.  He had listened to Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar speaking to Job, followed by Job’s responses and it appears that Job began to imply that God may have done wrong in all that had happened to him.  Here are Elihu’s comments.  “Let us choose for ourselves what is right; Let us know among ourselves what is good. For Job has said, ‘I am righteous, But God has taken away my right;” Job 34:4-5.  The idea here is that Job declared himself righteous, and God knew he was righteous, but would not declare his innocence.  In this, Elihu seems to claim Job said God perverted justice.  And if He perverted justice, than there could be a claim of wrongdoing.

However, Elihu states in our focus verse, with no question, that God will not act wickedly or pervert justice.  The apostle John puts it this way.  “This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.” 1 John 1:5.  Just as Elihu stated that God will not act wickedly or pervert justice, John goes even farther by saying that God is light with no darkness at all.  There is not even one small speck of darkness in God.  He is good, He is loving, and He is perfect.  God will not act with evil intentions but will only act in our good.   

We must understand with no question that God will not act in any way that is evil.  Even though we may go through hard times, we must not look at it as God bringing evil upon you.  On the contrary, what we may look at as bad and evil is actually a good, and we must trust in this truth.  As I have quoted in other devotions.  “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28.  Everything He does is for our good, or for the good of someone else.  We do not always understand the why, but there is always a good reason. Even with what Job went through, God took that situation and revealed who He was.  “Then Job answered the LORD and said, I know that You can do all things, And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted. Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ “Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. Hear, now, and I will speak; I will ask You, and You instruct me. I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; But now my eye sees You; Therefore I retract, And I repent in dust and ashes.” Job 42:1-6.

God had a good reason for allowing everything that happened to Him, and Job finally understood that and repented.  Let us also, understand this incredible truth and know that, as Paul said, ‘all things work together for good, for those who love God’. 

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Job 19:25

Verse of the Day Devotion: Job 19:25 

“As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last He will take His stand on the earth.” –  Job 19:25   

In the beginning of the Book of Job, he basically loses all he had because of Satan, who takes them away from him in testing God.  Job was a very prosperous man and had much property and many in his family.  However, Satan takes away everything he has and then kills all his children.  Soon after this, Satan attacks Job and covers his body with sore boils, from the top of his head to the soles of his feet.  And because of this, he was using a piece of pottery to scrape himself while sitting among the ashes. Not a pleasant experience.

And to make matters worse, three friends come by to sit with him.  Their names were Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar.  There was a serious back and forth between Job and his three friends.  Each time one of his friends spoke, Job would respond.  And it seems each series of talks became more and more negative.  In chapter 19, Job is responding to the comments of Bildad found in the previous chapter.  Bildad seemed offended by the words of Job.  Some of Bildad’s words are, “How long will you hunt for words? Show understanding and then we can talk. Why are we regarded as beasts, As stupid in your eyes?” Job 18:2-3.  And, “The light in his tent is darkened, And his lamp goes out above him. His vigorous stride is shortened, And his own scheme brings him down. For he is thrown into the net by his own feet, And he steps on the webbing.” Job 18:6-8.  These three friends believed his trials were on account of his sins and that God was punishing him. 

Job then responds to his friends, particularly Bildad, with strong words of his own.  “How long will you torment me And crush me with words? These ten times you have insulted me; You are not ashamed to wrong me. Even if I have truly erred, My error lodges with me.  Know then that God has wronged me And has closed His net around me.” Job 19:2-6.  He hits back on Bildad, but then at the end, he says even if I have erred, it is God who has wronged me.  He then goes on to say God has stripped him of any honor he had, and He is breaking him down and has uprooted his hope.  He goes as far as stating, “He has also kindled His anger against me And considered me as His enemy.” Job 19:11.

Next, he asks his friends to feel bad for him.  “Pity me, pity me, O you my friends, For the hand of God has struck me. Why do you persecute me as God does, And are not satisfied with my flesh?” Job 19:21-22.  He feels he has been wronged and accused of hypocrisy.  He was letting out what he was feeling, however, his words were taken as something evil.  He then wishes his words were written to show others that he was struggling and was not as his friends portrayed him.  He was not being hypocritical but was expressing his thoughts and feelings. 

Job then abruptly breaks away from his previous sentiments.  He now settles back and says in our focus verse, “As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, And at the last He will take His stand on the earth.” Job 19:25.  He is essentially telling his friends that you may think I acted improperly, accusing me of being utterly wrong and hypocritical.  However, I know my redeemer lives.  The word redeemer is translated from the Hebrew word go’el, which refers to the kindred redeemer.  He believed that no matter how difficult things could be, He would redeem Him in the end.  This could be a prophetic word referring to Christ, but it could also refer to his current life.  He was confident in that, and he was to wait patiently for Him.

I want to encourage us to always remember as well that our Redeemer lives.  The one who died for us to pay the penalty for our sins and will come back to take us home.  We all go through difficult times, and with the enemy coming for us, we will continue to experience hard times.  But in the midst, we must always remember that our redeemer lives.  If we find ourselves being accused by people as being sinful and that is the reason for our trials, remember we know what we actually believe and that our redeemer lives. Therefore, do not focus on the problems and trials,  but focus on God, our redeemer and friend.  He will always bring us through and never leave or forsake us.  This is the best way to look at these situations for He will bring us through, both now and for eternity.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries, Inc.