Day 238
Job 20:1-22:30; 2 Corinthians 1:1-11; Psalm 40:11-17; Proverbs 22:2-4
Sharing God’s Consolation
In our reading from Job, we see the continued interplay between the discourses of Job and his so-called “friends.” Zophar insists that the wicked are always the recipients of God’s judgment. Eliphaz continues this theme by insisting that Job must have greatly sinned to have suffered so much. He invites Job to return to the Almighty and so be restored. In response to Zophar, Job maintains that the wicked do not always suffer and that he is innocent of any great transgression. He chides his friends, “How then will you comfort me with empty nothings? There is nothing left of your answers but falsehood” (Job 21:34).
In Corinthians, the apostle Paul speaks of an overarching divine purpose in our sufferings. He writes that God, the Father of mercies, “…consoles us in all our afflictions, so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God” (2 Cor. 1:4-5). As he recounts his experiences of persecution and suffering, he links his rescue and deliverance to the prayers the members of the church at Corinth have poured out on his behalf.
Father, help us to remember how important our prayers are in the fulfillment of your purposes in the lives of others. Help us to be faithful to pray for those in need. Amen.
The Rev. Janice Miller – Deacon