“I cannot eat for sighing; my groans pour out like water. What I always feared has happened to me. What I dreaded has come true.” (Job 3:24-25)

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Job was in a hard situation. In fact, you could say it is one of the most intense situations in Scripture. He has lost all that he loves and now sits before the Lord in great grief, even to the point of wishing he had never been born. Surely, things could not get worse. Yet, later, in this chapter, his friends come to “help” by pointing out that he must have sinned greatly to be punished by God in this way. These accusations show a flaw in our thinking as humans. In a world that is increasingly more interested in karma than in biblical truth, it is easy to see someone suffer and assume they are getting what they deserve. The problem is that Jesus himself points away from this train of thought to a deeper concern.

In Luke 13, Jesus is asked about people who died in tragic ways. The assumption was that they were “The worst sinners in Jerusalem” until Jesus said “No, and I tell you again that unless you repent, you will perish too.” Jesus points us away from the judgment of others sin and instead tells us to assess our own relationship with the Lord. So next time you see suffering in someone else, do not assume punishment for sin. Instead, assess your own walk, and do what you can to encourage them in the Truth of Christ.

“If someone is suffering, it doesn’t mean they have done anything wrong!”

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, Help me to hear Your voice over all the continuous problems that continue to come my way. Lord, it seems that others in this world try to insult or slander my character, often because of my relationship with You. Help me during those weak moments to know what You would say to me. Help me to hear and respond to Your voice and know that I am loved. Help me to fellowship with and love others around me. Forgive me for those times I have judged someone’s suffering. Help me to live a Proverbs 3 life of not leaning on my own understanding. Teach me your ways and use me to minister to the broken. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries 

http://www.scripturalseeds.org