Job 42:5-6 “My ears had heard of you
but now my eyes have seen you.
Therefore I despise myself
and repent in dust and ashes.”

There’s nothing like a revelation of God to give you a fresh perspective on yourself! We are so prone to pull God down toward our own level, and that naturally creates all sorts of misconceptions. He is perfectly holy, and since we aren’t, we have trouble even imagining that. He is totally powerful, and we are constantly running into our own impotence. However, He is also love itself, and that is where our hope lies. (1 John 4:8-10) Job had understood some things about God, and he was true to what he knew, and God acknowledged that. However, God loved him enough to give him a further revelation of Himself, and that blew him out of the water. The more we know of God, the better we understand that His every interaction with us is by grace, and our gratitude continues to grow. I would go so far as to say that anyone who is not grateful to God simply doesn’t know God. In all of his suffering Job didn’t let go of God, but he certainly complained! However, Job didn’t know of the scourging and crucifixion of Christ, how God Himself took on our suffering in order to open the way for us to be His children indeed. We have that Biblical record, and yet we often complain no less than Job did!

I’m certainly talking to myself here. The past week of traveling to England and back has had quite a few things that did not feel optimal to me at the time. At the moment my torso and arms have almost constant itching from an allergic reaction to the sweater I wore on the trip back. However, in the eternal scheme of things, those things are almost totally insignificant. I need to be praising God for His overwhelming grace toward me! I have indeed been blessed immensely on this trip, and I must not let insignificant things rob me of the joy and peace that God intends and has provided for me. Getting over jet lag yet again and getting back into the rhythm of life in Omura is a pressing issue, but there too I can trust God and know that He will bring me through. I need to seek His priorities for what I am to do when, meeting His appointments and doing His will on His schedule, because that will bring the greatest possible blessings to me and to those around me, and greatest glory to Him.

Father, thank You indeed for bringing us home safely, and for all that You have done in this week, both in England and in Omura. Help me move on from here, taking each step in turn, so that I will grow and not stagnate, and will draw others along with me in the journey, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!