You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call on you. Psalm 86:5.

The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law. Deuteronomy 29:29. 

A man’s mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure. Proverbs 16:9. 

There are times when I am struck with a thought and this morning it was the title of this blog: it begins with a lie. Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” Genesis 3:1. Did God really say? Yes! God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. Genesis 2:31. Yes! Why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God”? Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. Isaiah 40:27-28. 

And then I read our chapter, Job 16. Job confronts his friends and points out he could say the same words to them that they are saying to him in his grief if they were in his place and they were in his, but my mouth would encourage you; comfort from my lips would bring you relief. v. 5. But nothing helps. One verse reminds me of Jesus on the cross…People open their mouths to jeer at me; they strike my cheek in scorn and unite together against me. v. 10. And with these words of Job I see Satan…my opponent fastens on me his piercing eyes...All was well with me, but he shattered me; he seized me by the neck and crushed me. He has made me his target. v. 9, 12. And yet, Job doesn’t lose hope in God though he ascribes his misery to God…Even now my witness is in heaven; my advocate is on high. My intercessor is my friend as my eyes pour out tears to God; on behalf of a man he pleads with God as one pleads for a friend. Only a few years will pass before I take the path of no return. v. 19-22. The path of no return? It begins with a lie…did God really say…

Job is a stark book and account of anguish and hope. Anguish in trials so severe we wonder where is God. Hope because we can bring all of us to God and ask why and He doesn’t turn away. Satan would surround us with the misty darkness of doubt and lies and without question we can look at this world and question the goodness of our God – Father, Son, Spirit. But, when we turn to Him, and ask for His help He is here. The clear beautiful light of His love penetrates the suffocating darkness and pierces our hearts that know its Maker and hope blooms. We need the fertile soil of God’s truth and Love and in that soil we grow. We are not the same though the world around us clings to lies. Pray continually. 1 Thessalonians 5:17. Why? Why bring God into every part of our lives and pray for others? Because God is truth. In Him there are no lies…in Him there is no darkness. His truth is the light of His Love for us and it is Good! In Him we can grow and know joy and learn to share and love others as He would have us love…and in His love peace is. As long as we live in this present world we will have trials but we don’t have to suffer them alone ever again. Our Helper rich in mercy, peace and grace is here now. Take His hand. He loves you.