Read: Job 33:13-14

I like to listen to a local talk show on my drive home from work. The station is close to my job so when I first tune in the signal is extremely clear. The further I drive from my job, the less I can hear and understand the show. Finally, I get to a point when I’ve driven so far away I’m forced to turn the radio off.

If I told you the radio show ended because I can no longer hear it, you’d think I was crazy. The show is still on the air. I’m simply too far away to tune in. The same is true with God. He is always speaking to us, but the further we move away the less we can hear His voice. And if we move too far away, we may stop hearing from Him altogether.

The presence of sin separates us from God and causes His signal to go fuzzy. Isaiah 59:2 says, “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.”

So how do we remain close to God and put ourselves in a position to hear His voice? We spend time with Him in prayer. We read His Word and submit all areas of lives to Him. We attend church and allow believers to share what they’ve heard from Him.

God is always speaking. We just need to be tuned in to hear His voice.

Read: Job 1:1 & Proverbs 1:7

​I have always struggled with the concept of fearing God. Why should I fear someone who loves me unconditionaly? Until recently, I classified it as an Old Testament concept, like the law. We have Jesus so we no longer have to fear God, right?

​But the more I read my Bible, the more I realize my thinking was wrong. It seems contradictory to both love and fear someone, but the Creator of the Universe is no regular someone. God knows all and sees all, all of the time. He has always been and always will be. His thoughts are not our thoughts, and we will never comprehend him completely.

​Fire is a good example of something we need but should have a healthy fear and respect for. Is it a coincidence that God is referred to as a “devouring fire” in Hebrews? A healthy fear of God is necessary for a healthy relationship with Him. If we fear and respect His ultimate power in our lives it will give us hope, and a faith that is stronger than we can imagine.

Read: Job 28:12-28 & Psalm 111:10 & Proverbs 9:10 & Isaiah 6:6-8

Spiders scare me. I have no desire to see or be in the same house as one. I don’t think there’s been a moment in my life where I’ve actually used sound judgement and wisdom when approaching my fear of spiders. Most recently, I was getting out of the shower when I saw a spider the size of an iPhone (yet more round and less rectangular). I lost all sense and threw my towel at it then ran out of the bathroom with nothing covering me. I was full of fear, empty of wisdom, and completely naked.

Isn’t that just what it’s like to not fear the Lord? Proverbs says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. When I don’t recognize who God is, I can’t fear him. I can’t fear him if I don’t recognize what He can do to me and what I actually deserve. That’s why Jesus says in Matthew 10:28, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” God alone is worthy of our fear. He can do anything He wants to me. Yet, He chooses grace through Christ Jesus.

When we’re obedient to the Lord consistently, we understand who He is consistently. The more we understand who He is, the more aware we are of who we were before Jesus and what we actually deserve. This is why fearing the Lord is good. Fearing the Lord expunges sin from our lives, focuses us on our need for a Savior and allows us to understand who God really is.

Do you fear the Lord, or just everything else? If you want wisdom, start by being obedient to the Lord’s will for your life.

Read: Job 28 & James 3:10-19 & Proverbs 3:5-6

Recently, my husband and I purchased a cabin at the beach. This was a dream of mine and an unreal blessing. The yard had not been tended to in a few years, and we spent a good bit of time trying to get things under control. As I waded through leaves and pulled up vines with roots that we thought might reach the ocean, my mind wandered to James 3:10, “These things ought not so to be” (KJV).  It was a funny, but somber thought as that Scripture came to mind. Many times we find ourselves in situations when good things seem bad, and we struggle with it.

Job found himself and his life in a downward spiral, and he wrestled with why. As we read through his discourse with God, he lays out a closing argument, pleading to understand how his life could end up in such a mess when he so carefully tried to live as a righteous man in every way he could imagine. “Where can wisdom be found” “Where does wisdom come from?” “Where does understanding dwell?” (Job 28:12,20) In the same way that I had not done anything to cause the tangled roots I was now fighting but had inherited them along with a blessing, Job found himself feeling both blessed and cursed, and wanted to understand.

There are some things we may never know. “God understands the way to it (wisdom) and He alone knows where it dwells” (Job 28:23). Our circumstances should never be our proof of God’s abiding love and presence. Job’s blameless life and righteous ways had not gone unnoticed. His life is an example teaching us to fear God and shun evil, to seek wisdom and harvest righteousness.

Read: Matthew 5:14-16 & John 8:12 & 1 John 1:6-8

Imagine a lamp with a 100 watt light bulb. The lamp was made to shine brightly, but it has to be plugged into an electrical outlet.

As Christians, we’re a lot like the lamp. We’re made in the image of God, but we have to be plugged into the power source before we can shine and bring light into darkness. Our power source is not a “what” but a “who.” We connect to God through Bible reading, prayer, time alone with Him and acts of obedience.

Jesus said in Matthew 5:14-16, “You are the light of the world … let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” In a busy world where every moment is scheduled, it is easy to get disconnected from the power source. When we spend less time with God and focus on the stresses around us, darkness seeps in and douses the light. But when our focus stays on God, when we stay plugged into the outlet, His brightness can overpower that darkness in and around us.

Jesus said He is “the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life’” (John 8:12). To be the light of the world, we have to follow the light of the world. So plug in and walk in the light.

Read: Job 42

Throughout the book of Job, Job’s three friends believe Job must have sinned against God to be experiencing the trouble he has in his life. They continuously criticize him for refusing to confess his sins, and they assume God is punishing some evil in Job’s life. They leave no room to consider how God may be working through this situation. In Job 42:7-9, God specifically addresses Job’s friends. He tells them He is angry with them and instructs them to sacrifice burnt offerings for themselves. He also says Job will pray for them, and He will accept the prayer instead of dealing with them according to their folly.

The way both the Lord and Job dealt with Job’s friends are beautiful examples of grace and mercy. Job’s friends let their theology become bigger than the sovereignty of the Lord. Instead of disciplining them, God shows them mercy, and through His grace, they are forgiven their actions. Job also shows mercy and grace. For an entire book, Job’s friends blame him for his problems, accuse him of hidden sin, and lack any sympathy, encouragement, or care. Yet, when the Lord asks Job to pray for his friends so that their folly may be forgiven, he does so without question. Despite their misgivings, Job forgives his friends and speaks to the Lord on their behalf through prayer.

Job is a beautiful reminder of the immeasurable grace and mercy the Lord has for us, but it is also a reminder of the grace and mercy we should have for others. We are to follow the example of Christ in all that we do, including praying for and forgiving those who have hurt us.