FOLLOW LMI
"I'd like to share Christ, but I just don't know how!"
When God gives you an opportunity, just smile, pull out a copy of If We Never Meet Again or What If No One Warned You? and say, "Here's something I think you'll enjoy reading!"
May 3, 2024
- By Ed Powell
- Have Dare to Trust emailed to you daily!
- Feel free to forward today's devo to friends!
- Dare to Trust Archive
- See the printer-friendly version of this page
- Purchase the "Dare" book set (three books) in the LMI store.
"By reason of breakings, they purify themselves." Job 41:25
God uses most for His glory those people and things that are most perfectly broken. Why does God have His hand upon those who have been broken? Why doesn't He seek those who are strong in body, aggressive in spirit, and unbending in attitude? David wrote, "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise" (Psalm 51:17). God permitted Satan to afflict Job, that in the process of those dreadful times, Job would be brought into a relationship with God that would not be possible in any other way. Job lost everything--his home, family, cattle, possessions, wealth, and finally his body, broken through great agony, pain, and suffering. Yet through it all, his faith never wavered. It wasn't until "self" was broken that he saw himself as God saw him, and cried out, "I have heard you by the hearing of the ear, but NOW MINE EYE SEES YOU. Wherefore, I repent in dust and ashes" (Job 42:5-6).
Why didn't Job see God before his dreadful experience? I believe we, like Job, need to have the "scales" removed from our eyes. It reminds me of Elisha, when the king of Syria sent his men to capture this man of God. Elisha's servant rose up early to survey their position and was startled with fear when he saw the enemy surrounding the city where they were. He cried out to Elisha, "What shall we do?" Elisha said, "Fear not, for they that be with us are more than they that be with them." Elisha discerns the need of his servant and prays, "Lord, open his eyes that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man and he saw and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha" (2 Kings 6:17).
The "scales" that covered Job's eyes, the young servant's eyes, and our eyes, do not have to be things that are sinful; they can be simply "things" that are good in themselves, but encumber us, hinder us, and keep us from seeing God in the perspective of all He wants to do in and through us. We are often blinded by self-interests, living in denial of circumstances we face, engrossed with too much spiritual activity, that we simply fail to see God in our daily walk. Because of the noise of all that we are involved in, we cannot hear His "still small voice" speaking to us and saying, "This is the way, walk you in it."
Our broken heart and contrite spirit will always be in proportion to our concept of God. The greater our concept of God in all of His holiness, righteousness, justice, love, grace, mercy, and countless other attributes, the more likely we will be to abhor ourselves and to repent in dust and ashes, as Job did. David said, "What is man that you are mindful of him?" When David meditated upon God, his conclusion was, "Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable [beyond our comprehension, inconceivable]." It was the breakdown of everything hindering Job that opened his eyes to the majesty of God. It often is necessary for us to be broken in wealth, self-will, ideals, ambitions, personal affections, and even health, before we are able to see Him in all of His glory. Those who are utterly forlorn and helpless, when broken by God, are seized by the Holy Spirit and used for God's glory, in God's way, in God's time!
© 2007 by Ed Powell. Used by permission.
This page was reprinted by permission from: http://litmin.org/dare.php?date=2024-05-03&print=1
Dare to Trust emailed to you!
To have Dare to Trust emailed directly to you each
day, type your email address in the box below and click on "Subscribe
me!" (You'll receive a follow-up email asking you to confirm your
subscription request, and you must reply to that email before you will
be subscribed to Dare to Trust.)
January
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
February
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29
March
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
April
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
May
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
June
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
July
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
August
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
September
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
October
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
November
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
December
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
