Restoration

Job 40–42

It’s funny, comical almost, how easily we can compare ourselves to one another. In our own self-absorbed worlds, we have a tendency to think we measure up pretty good. We’ve lived our lives, for the most part, pleasing in God’s eyes and that deserves some kind of undeserved lot in life, right?

When we begin to walk through difficult seasons, we find ourselves questioning God, just as Job did. We feel we are being unjustly treated and we wonder why we deserve the hand that we’re unfairly being dealt. We develop a sense of self-righteousness and think that we have the right to judge those around us. And not just that, but we think we know how the Lord should deal with them and how the Lord should deal with our own situations.

It’s not until the final chapters of Job that we see what God is teaching Job, and what He seeks to teach us: the problem isn’t in others, or in God, but it’s within ourselves. And that’s a problem only God is equipped to handle. We will fail miserably every time if we try to handle it ourselves.

In our brokenness we must be willing to stop defending ourselves and allow God, in His sweet graciousness, to take it all and begin to heal and bring true restoration to our lives.

Lord, I ask that you expose those areas in our hearts where we are prideful and self-righteous. Teach us to lay our hand on our mouth and admit the problem lies with us. We thank You for your gift of grace and loving us so dearly. Amen.

Family Connection: Spend time as a family putting together a puzzle this week. As you complete the puzzle, discuss how our lives can sometimes seem like a broken puzzle. Only God can put the pieces in our hearts back together to restore our brokenness.