227. The Lord will restore our fortunes: We have to despise ourselves and repent in dust and ashes.

8 December 2021

The Lord your God will restore your fortunes.

Deuteronomy 30

2 When you and your children return to the Lord your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today, 

3 then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you.

Job 42

5 “My ears had heard of you

    but now my eyes have seen you.

6 Therefore I despise myself

    and repent in dust and ashes.”

10 After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before.

despise 

/dɪˈspaɪz/

verb

: to dislike (something or someone) very much

From packinghouseredlands website/devotional/?p=7716

"After God answered Job, Job said that he had heard great things about God but now, after his face-to-face encounter with God, he realized he had been arrogant and sinful. God had earlier called Job a righteous man, but when Job actually saw the living God, he could only think about one thing: repentance. If a righteous man needs to repent when he comes to speak with God, how much more the rest of us when we come to Him in prayer.

Job’s confession and repentance finally took place, but he still didn’t know why he had suffered. However, he no longer complained about it; it didn’t matter to him anymore because he’d been brought to a place of complete submission and humility, even without getting answers to his questions. What God had revealed about Himself to Job eclipsed all questions and all suffering. Here at the end of the book, Job quietly bowed before his Creator and admitted that God was sovereign.

We find at least 3 lessons in Job that we can apply to our own lives:

1. We should not try to figure out someone else’s situation in our own wisdom.

2. We must have compassion for others who are in desperate predicaments, being helpful and not critical.

3. We can expect our own suffering to have a joyful end; if not here, then at least in eternity."

To despise oneself, to take back what oneself said.

Job 42 NLT

6 “I take back everything I said,

and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.”

Like any man worth his salt, I wanted the education of my children through college, by my own sweat, brain and brawn. 

I had to take back what I said.

The Lord humbled me, clipped my pride, my dependence on my ability; He wanted things to be by my own tears, heart and spirit.

I was the Captain of my ship, until I sunk into the sea of depression. My ship hit rock bottom, damaged beyond repair. 

Until the unbelievable happened, with my ship beyond rescue and beyond repair, the Lord sent help, the Good Samaritans in my life to whom I am forever grateful. I came back from the grave.

I cried in prayers, in my wordless groans, I must have sung in my heart, Lord, open the eyes of my heart.

I prayed in repentance, I worshipped the Lord with my lips, the lips of my heart.

I realized that the eyes of my heart had been blind all along after all. I was blinded by my self-righteousness.

The Lord has chastened me severely,

    but he has not given me over to death. (Psalm 118:18).

I cried tears in prayers, and I was healed; the Lord opened the eyes of my heart. I worshipped the Lord with the lips of my heart. I am no more spiritually blind. The Lord has put bright countenance and smile in the face of my heart.

Was blind but now I see. Amazing grace. How sweet the sound. Amen and Amen.

The Lord restored my fortune.

The Lord will restore our fortunes. We can expect our own suffering to have a joyful end; if not here, then at least in eternity.

""Though you have made me see troubles,

    many and bitter,

    you will restore my life again;

from the depths of the earth

    you will again bring me up.

As for me, I will always have hope;

    I will praise you more and more.

For you have been my hope, Sovereign Lord,

    my confidence since my youth." (Psalm 71:20, 14, 5). Lord, God of Job, great is Your faithfulness; this I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

25 February 2018"

May you be blessed with God's Word.

Maraming salamat.