Job Chapter 19. Abandoned
Job responds to his comforters how long will you continue to torment me with your advice? 10 times you've reproached me and attacked me. If I have sinned, it's between God and I but you exalt yourselves above me. I called for help but God has delayed and he has humbled me. Even my family has alienated themselves from me. My closest friends have left me. My servant ignores me. With all the rejection I have faced I asked my comforters have pity on me. Job knows in the end he will see God but the comforter say, yes you will see him and his judgment.
Job's experiences complete abandonment from everyone. Even feels God has abandoned him. Jesus felt completely abandoned at the cross and he understands our feelings. He wants to be a comfort to us when we are in need. And he wants us to be a comfort to others as he has been a comfort to us. Cause us to reach out to those who feel abandoned: the sick, The prisoner, the widow and orphans, etc. God help me be aware of those in need and respond versus walking away into my own selfish world.
II Corinthians chapter 1: 3-4.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.
I thought about how Job was feeling miserable and treated in a way in which he felt tormented by his friends. I compared the approach of Job’s friends with what Paul wrote to the Corinthians about building up and not tearing down. What a difference it can make when we pray and aim to help build up rather than tear down! Paul wrote to them about examining themselves and he also shared that he was praying for restoration as we see included in 2 Corinthians 13:5-11.
Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test. But we pray to God that you may not do wrong—not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed. For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. Your restoration is what we pray for. For this reason I write these things while I am away from you, that when I come I may not have to be severe in my use of the authority that the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down. Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.