Bitter Sweet TEXT: JOB 30:1-14 Key verse: “Because he hath loosed my cord, and afflicted me, they have also let loose the bridle before me” ( Job 30:11). The demarcation between joy and sorrow is just a step. That is why a joyful heart can quickly slip into utter gloom in a matter of seconds. It is a paradox. A man may live a life of bliss, joy and happiness, having everything that makes life worth living, with people around him pouring encomiums and sharing from his dainty. But the scripture cautions that we should remember ‘the days of darkness’. When it is well with us, we are praised and adored. But when the tide turns against us, we become objects of scorn and derision. Job’s previous state of glory and abundance had been described in chapter 29. And now, he experiences suffering and deprivation. What a contrast! What a twist of fate! He had become the object of contempt by the same people he had earlier assisted in their penury. Suffering such extreme loss was bad enough, but to be abused by derelicts and upstarts was to add insult to injury. His mockers spared no thought for his bravery and calmness in his suffering. In a twinkle of an eye, the tide can turn and our fortunes nose-dive. Our misfortune may create the opportunity for mockers and revilers to have a field day, feeding on our fallen state. Such mockers may include younger people and those who have benefited from our largesse when the going was good. There is the need for self-examination when our condition becomes adverse to ensure we are still at the centre of God’s will. And young people who mock elders in distress should remember that their own physical abilities and attributes wear out with the passage of each day and that God watches all our actions. Like Job, our trials would be over soon, if only we put our confidence in God. THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: The only thing constant is change.
Posted on: Sun, 05 Oct 2014 06:13:31 +0000
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