Joy Gems

My Faith in God is My Consolation

Job 6: 8-10 "Oh that I might have my request, that God would grant what I hope for, that God would be willing to crush me, to let loose his hand and cut me off! Then I would still have this consolation - my joy in unrelenting pain - that I had not denied the words of the Holy One."

That sounds as if Job is really desperate to be finished with his life. He did have an unusual load of suffering, so I can't really fault him for wanting out of the pain.

However, he says that if God would take his life, he, Job, would still continue to have one consolation, his one joy in the midst of all his unrelenting pain - that joy was the knowledge that he had not renounced his faith in the words of God, the Holy One.

I pause in awe. Let's think about this. Job clung to his faith in God no matter what pain and sorrow he had to endure. The knowledge of that gave him joy and consolation.

We might have to go to a country like India or some other place where Christians endure tremendous persecution and suffering to find any number of people who believe in God and hang on despite all the things that happen to them.

Perhaps, like me, you have cringed at the very thought of having to suffer physical and emotional pain for your faith in God and His Son, Jesus Christ. What now though, if doing so gives us great consolation - a true joy? Do you believe that the God who can save us from our sins can also give us joy in the midst of the most severe suffering?

PRAYER: Lord, I think we have just spotted a true joy gem in a very dark place. If, or rather, when we go through terribly hard and painful times, of whatever nature, if we do not lose our faith in You, that alone will give us a measure of joy and consolation. Even if my troubles kill me, my faith in You shines like a gemstone! Oh yes, in my caregiver crises You caused my faith to grow and You WERE my consolation! Amen! I have this gemstone too!

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