Only the Relationship Matters

Scripture:
Oh, that I had one to hear me!
Here is my mark.
Oh, that the Almighty would answer me,
That my Prosecutor had written a book.
Job 31:35

Observation: Job ends his entire defense by wondering what sins he has committed. He outlines several sins he did not commit, and wishes that God would have simply documented what he did do wrong so he may understand it. The sins he does claim in this chapter that he has not committed are ... lust and adulatory, lying or cheating others, suppressed or repressed the poor, been greedy for money, shown hate toward others, failed to care for strangers, and stolen from the land.

However, in his final defense, Job skips over his relationship with God. This isn't because he didn't have a relationship with God, but that his anger of his situation has left him alienated from God. He feels he cannot engage with God, approach or speak with God about his plight, or stand before him for his defense. In the end, that is what he wants ... not an understanding of his sins, but clarity on his relationship with God, and a conversation with God about his circumstances.

Application: A relationship with God is everything. When I feel close to God, I am better mentally, and I am better behaved in all circumstances. When that relationship just becomes an exercise is behavioral compliance, however, everything goes wrong.

Job's example then is this: When the going got tough, he (and his friends) tried to riddle out the reason, when all he really should have done is engaged with God is prayer. He says over and over that he needs an intermediary to do this, and certainly Jesus helps us in this regard.

I have been in hard times, and I still hurt from time to time. It is good to know there is a proper way to proceed through such times, and it is by simply turning to God in prayer.

Prayer: Lord, I do thank you for your love, and for Jesus as our intercessor, and your Spirit to guide me daily. May I look to you for my daily needs, and my guidance, and my comfort. I will not lean on my own understanding or behavior, but look to you alone for meaning and strength. Amen.