In Touch Devotional 8 January 2024 Message by Dr. Charles Stanley
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Today’s Scripture: Job 13:1-15
MESSAGE: Satan came before the Lord and requested permission to unleash a series of tests on Job. The barrage of hardships was meant to crush the faithful believer’s soul and reveal he wasn’t the righteous person God claimed. After Job lost his possessions, family, and health, his friends came to comfort him. They didn’t know the real reason behind his suffering—but that didn’t stop the would-be comforters from assuming Job was receiving punishment he deserved. As the old saying goes, “With friends like that, who needs enemies?”
Have you ever received the kind of advice Job’s unhelpful friends offered? At times when we’re experiencing hardship, we too may find ourselves on the receiving end of judgmental “consolation.” Early in the discussion with his misguided comforters, faithful Job responded in a way that put their counsel in the proper perspective. Despite having no idea why he’d lost so much, Job declared, “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him” (13:15 NIV).
Job’s bold pronouncement is both a realistic take on his current circumstances and an expression of confidence in God’s character. His hope was not some pie-in-the-sky spiritual cliché that diminished his suffering but a conscious decision to trust God in the midst of it.
Bible in One Year: Genesis 26-28
Thought for the Day: Even when our situation is bleak, we can trust God.
Dr. Charles Stanley was the founder of In Touch Ministries and a New York Times best-selling author. Throughout his ministry, he demonstrated a keen awareness of people’s needs and provided Christ-centered biblically based principles for everyday life.
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