Daily EncouragementSample

These are the words of a man humbling himself under God’s mighty hand (1 Pet. 5:6). They reflect an attitude of awe and reverence becoming the creature in the presence of the Creator. They are not lightly spoken, but come out of the depths “of patience in the face of suffering” (Jas. 5:10). Out of that crucible has come a deeper knowledge of God and a fresh spirit of repentance: “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:5-6). And these words of confession follow as his head is bowed in worship: “Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.”

There is encouragement here for us who are only paddling while men like Job are struggling in the deep water. Every experience the Lord permits us to pass through which leads us to know him better, to sense our own unworthiness and to humble ourselves before him, is a blessed experience. “You have heard of Job’s perseverance,” says James, “and have seen what the Lord finally brought about” (Job 5:11). “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.”