“Thank You Lord For Being Gracious To Me!”

“Thank You Lord For Being Gracious To Me!”
An interesting character in the book of Job is Elihu. While Job’s three friends were accusing Job and Job defending and justifying himself, Elihu had remained silent because he was young and didn’t want to get involved in the discussion of elders.
Job’s three friends were at a loss and stopped answering him “because he was righteous in his own eyes…He became angry with Job for justifying himself rather than God.” Elihu also became angry with Job’s friends “because they had found no way to refute Job and yet had condemned him.” Elihu now spoke up. (32:1ff).
Elihu’s words were near prophetic. In the verses under review today he emphasised the chastening aspect of suffering. He talked of the possibility of deliverance and restoration based on a mediator.
He talked of God’s gracious response of forgiveness where there is sincere repentance. Like I mentioned earlier Elihu was near prophetic but he missed out on the true nature of Job’s relationship with God which was decided only in the divine council as mentioned in the first two chapters.
Despite a person’s self justification, God has a mediator for the one who submits to him. When “he prays to God and finds favour with him, he sees God’s face and shouts for joy; he is restored by God to his righteous state.”
It is then that a person can turn to men by way of testimony and say, “I sinned, and perverted what was right, but I did not get what I deserved. He redeemed my soul from going down to the pit”(33:23-28).
Our problem is that each person is right in his/her own eyes. In the wake of COVID-19 so many have castigated Christianity and cast doubt on the potency and benevolence of God instead of acknowleding that we have in the name of science and technological advancement polluted God’s best possible world into its near pre-creation chaotic condition! We must return to the Lord through Jesus Christ!
Weekend prayer: Thank you Lord for when my sins were deeper than the oceans and higher than the mountains you sanctified me through the blood of Jesus Christ. Amen!
Have a blessed weekend! Peace be with you!