Job's Response to Trouble

“In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly” (v. 22).
Satan’s plan has now been put into action. Job has just received word of the loss of his wealth, and the devastating loss of his children. Anyone of these things would be enough to cause anyone to have a tremendous emotional reaction — a reaction from the base of one’s being; a reaction that would reveal the true heart of one’s character. It did this for Job. At this point, Satan should have given up and gone away. What was revealed about Job’s surrender to and trust in God is here made absolutely clear by the way he reacted to this news. In verse 21 we see that Job considered everything that had been taken away to be some- thing that was from God and had never ceased to belong to God. It was God’s to do with as He so chose. Job had a human reaction of grief, but the spiritual reaction of unwavering faith was the witness of where his heart was. The witness given of him by God is here found in verse 22. God, who saw his heart, didn’t observe any sin nor doubt as to how com- pletely Job trusted Him. (Tim J. Brubeck)

“Perfect submission, all is at rest . . . lost in His love” (Fanny J. Crosby).

2018-07-18T09:00:05+00:00July 18th, 2018|Categories: Opening the Word|Tags: , , , |0 Comments

Trusting God in the Dark (Act 2)

Lesson 7 - January 14, 2018

Focus Text: Isaiah 37:8-20, 36-38
Central Truth: Praying to God is not an act of desperation, but an expression of deep trust in God.
Objective: By the end of this lesson my students will be able to identify three ways that imitating Hezekiah’s actions in the dark gives us hope in our dark times.
Lesson Outline:

  1. "When Darkness Surrounds Me" (Isaiah 37:8-13)
  2. "I Will Trust in God" (Isaiah 37:14-20)
  3. "And He Will Deliver Me" (Isaiah 37:36-38)
2018-01-08T08:55:10+00:00January 8th, 2018|Categories: Weekly Lesson Summaries|Tags: |0 Comments

Trusting God for Help

Read 2 Corinthians 3:1-6

*“And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward”* (v. 4).

The last hot water bottle had just burst. In Central Africa, there was no place to get another one. Keeping a new-born, premature infant alive was no easy task. An orphaned one was even harder. “Your job is to keep the baby warm,” Dr. Helen Roseveare informed the midwife.
The next day, Helen told the orphan children about the burst hot water bottle, the baby, and of its sad two-year-old sister. One of the orphans declared they must pray – and then did. Ruth insisted God must send a hot water bottle that afternoon! She also requested a doll to cheer up the baby’s sister. Helen was appalled at the bold request.
That afternoon, an unexpected package arrived. Surrounded by orphans, Dr. Roseveare nervously opened it. Sure enough, among other things, there was a hot water bottle. Ruth was so excited she dove into the box looking for the doll. Just as she expected, it was there.
Knowing the package had been en route for months, Helen was reminded that our needs do not take God by surprise. He can be trusted to give us the help we need - precisely when we need it. (Cyretha Horton)

“Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him!
How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er
Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus!
O for grace to trust Him more!”
-Louisa M. R. Stead (Public Domain)

This devotional is the Wednesday, November 2, 2016 entry of Opening the Word.

2016-11-02T09:00:00+00:00November 2nd, 2016|Categories: Opening the Word|Tags: |0 Comments

How to Deal With Worry

Lesson 6 - October 9, 2016
Focus Text: Psalm 40:1-17
Central Truth: Faith rests assured that God always knows our needs.
Objective: By the end of this lesson my students should be able to identify one area in their lives in which they will exercise greater trust in God.
Lesson Outline:

  1. Trusting Brings Deliverance (Psalm 40:1-6)
  2. Trusting Brings Joy (Psalm 40:7-10)
  3. Trusting Brings Victory (Psalm 40:11-17)
2016-10-03T09:00:00+00:00October 3rd, 2016|Categories: Weekly Lesson Summaries|Tags: |0 Comments

Faith Defined

Read Hebrews 11:1-10
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (v. 1).
In The Edge of Adventure, Keith Miller and Bruce Larson tell of a letter that was discovered in a baking powder can. The can was wired to the handle of an old water pump on the seldom-used trail across Nevada’s Amargosa Desert. The letter read, “This pump is all right as of June 1932. I put a new sucker washer into it and it ought to last five years. But the washer dries out, and the pump has got to be primed. Under the white rock, I buried a bottle of water, out of the sun and cork end up. There’s enough water in it to prime the pump, but not if you drink some first. Pour about one-fourth and let her soak to wet the leather. Then pour in the rest medium fast and pump like crazy. You’ll git water. The well has never run dry. Have faith. When you git watered up, fill the bottle and put it back like you found it for the next feller. [signed] Desert Pete. P.S. Don’t go drinking the water first. Prime the pump with it and you’ll git all you can hold.”
Just as the thirsty traveler had to trust in something he could not see to receive water he desired, so the Hebrew writer tells us we must trust God for that which we desire. (Gayle Woods)
Faith in God is based on the substance of hope and the evidence of a yet to be realized reality.This devotional is the Monday, February 8, 2016 entry of Opening the Word.

2016-02-09T09:00:00+00:00February 9th, 2016|Categories: Opening the Word|Tags: , |0 Comments

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