I'm sitting alone in my dorm room, ready to begin a paper for New Testament. It is so incredibly refreshing to just have a quiet evening. No one is knocking at my door and I don't have anywhere to go for the evening.
Last night I read the first couple chapters of Job. It has been a long time since I read through Job, so I am looking forward to it. I want to read through it slowly and re-read each portion a few times before moving on. Dietrich Bonhoeffer (German pastor and theologian) told his students that in order to get the most out of a passage they should read the same passage for at least five days in a row.
As I began Job last night I spent a while on verses 6-12 of chapter 1. So many people misquote this passage. People always talk about Satan approaching God regarding Job. Read the passage! The Lord says, "Have you considered my servant, Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?" (v. 8, NKJV). The LORD was the one to first mention Job, not Satan! Read on and you'll see that Satan never asks for power over Job. The only authority that Satan has over Job is what God gives to him. Also, I love verse 20 "Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped." (emphasis mine) After hearing absolutely devastating news, Job's first response is to fall on his face and worship. He knew that his contentment and fulfillment was not based on his circumstances. He chose (perhaps as an act of his will) to worship despite losing all that he owned and all that he cherished (his children). Compare this to Habakkuk 3:17-19. I just pray that when overwhelming circumstances enter my life that I will have the same response as Job and immediately worship...not allowing time to feel sorry for myself and not allowing time for the father of lies (John 8:44) to get my eyes off the Truth.
Also, I found this website (Reformed Praise) and have been really blessed by the songs. Check them out! They have free downloads for many of the songs. We have sung a couple of the song in chapel ('Sovereign Grace' and 'Irresistible Grace'). Some of my favorite songs are 'I Lay My Sins on Jesus' and 'Help Me Remember'.
