A VOTE OF CONFIDENCE

Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no-one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.” Job 1:8

Think about it. The Lord is holding His morning meetings with His angels. Each has to report back on their earlier assignments on earth, while also waiting to be sent out to their newest. Satan also joins them from time to time….YES, he is the accuser of the brethren. Think about this! God has a very good report… about one particular man: JOB. He has a VOTE OF CONFIDENCE in him.

But Satan has his point to make. He thinks that Job’s loyalty and confidence in God is based on the exclusive protection he enjoys from God. As soon as the hedge is lifted…the enemy has the upperhand. Job is left standing alone EXPOSED. You may think this as tragic but wait until you hear the story.

You see, God’s vote of confidence in Job was not necessary based on Job’s ability to endure all the hardships but rather on GOD’S ABILITY and HIS ABUNDANT GRACE to see him through the trial. In his weakness, God became his strength.

As it was with Job, it still speaks well of you. A VOTE OF CONFIDENCE from God means you have the majority. Paul reminds us this:

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed but not in despair; persecuted but not abandoned; struck down but not destroyed. We always carry around our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may be revealed in our mortal body.  2 Corinthians 4:7-10

Take courage friend…the vote is for you!

 

THE ONLY GUARANTEE

No-one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU NOR FORSAKE YOU. Joshua 1:5

A Guarantee according to my Oxford dictionary is: formal promise to do something or that a thing is of specified quality and durability; thing offered as security.

It is just a little over 2 years when my family up stakes and moved from my husband’s home country, Poland and headed west to England in the UK. The excitement and hope we carried along with us was unprecedented. Of course, we had SOMEONE going before us to prepare the way.  Like Joshua’s time, we had done our homework. We had allowed ourselves to spy on the land we were going to settle in. And the report was all good.

But alas, as soon as we got off the bus…we were all on our own! There was no-one to meet us on the other side. We didn’t know where to start to begin us.  With limited resources in our pockets, we did eventually manage to get accomodation albeit with much difficulties attached to it. The challenge of looking for jobs and with money quickly running out made matters more complicated.

At the back of my mind….there was always the thoughts of GOD….yes, GOD. But…it wasn’t GOD as I had come to know Him. You see, faced with all these challenges, I couldn’t understand why God couldn’t come through when we need Him the most. My Father seemed as if He had failed to keep His word; I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU NOR FORSAKE YOU.

But… truth be told. He was there. He was there when I questioned; He was there when my husband got his first job…and 2 months later, I joined him. He was there when we moved into our first house on our own; He was there when dad fell ill and later went to be with the Lord a couple of months later. He was there when I doubted His ability to deliver and above all… He was there to meet me on the OTHER END.

As a child of God, I now realised that His GUARANTEE does not cover me  from pain, death, lack, destruction and all kinds of adversity. His ONLY GUARANTEE is a continual everlasting presence from the beginning, in-between and at the end of whatever life brings my way. Read Romans 8:35-39 and be encouraged.

He is a covenant keeping God!