– Today’s Community Scripture – 7/3/2025

 “Call for help, Job, if you think anyone will answer! To which of the holy angels will you turn? The hot temper of a fool eventually kills him, the jealous anger of a simpleton does her in. I’ve seen it myself—seen fools putting down roots, and then, suddenly, their houses are cursed. Their children out in the cold, abused and exploited, with no one to stick up for them. Hungry people off the street plunder their harvests, cleaning them out completely, taking thorns and all, insatiable for everything they have. Don’t blame fate when things go wrong—trouble doesn’t come from nowhere. It’s human! Mortals are born and bred for trouble, as certainly as sparks fly upward.

                                  Job 5:1–7 (MSG)

– Reflection:

I invite you, the reader, to reflect on personal responsibility, the importance of wisdom, and the inevitability of trials, encouraging a deeper trust in divine justice rather than relying on human strength or intervention. This passage offers a sobering reflection on human suffering and the consequences of wasted emotions. It vividly illustrates how anger, jealousy, and foolishness can lead to destruction not just for the individual but for their entire household. The imagery of children left vulnerable and harvests plundered emphasizes the far-reaching impact of unwise choices. Yet, the passage also challenges the tendency to blame fate for our troubles, asserting that hardship is an inherent part of the human condition “as certainly as sparks fly upward.” This metaphor suggests that suffering is not random but woven into the fabric of life, a natural result of human imperfection.

– Where do we go from here?

We are called to pause and examine the roots of our suffering not just as victims of fate, but as participants in a broken world where human choices matter. Moving forward means embracing humility and wisdom, understanding that anger and envy are more than emotions—they can be seeds of destruction. It means turning away from self-reliance and instead seeking divine guidance, even when answers seem far away. We are reminded that trouble isn’t an anomaly but part of life’s fabric. So, we move forward not in denial of hardship, but with a deeper awareness of our need for grace, community, and discernment. The path ahead invites us to grow in character, protect the vulnerable, and live with integrity, knowing that while we cannot escape all suffering, we can choose how to respond to it.

– Our Prayer for Today

Father, this morning in the quiet, we come before You with hearts open to Your truth. We have read about Job’s trials and the harsh realities of a broken world, and we acknowledge that suffering is no stranger to us. We have seen how anger and envy can lead to ruin, how foolishness can ripple through generations, and how easily we can blame fate for what is often born of human weakness. May we keep our focus on Jesus and the path we have been given. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Today’s Community Scripture – 7/2/2025

          Now You’re the One in Trouble

Then Eliphaz from Teman spoke up:

“Would you mind if I said something to you? Under the circumstances it’s hard to keep quiet. You yourself have done this plenty of times, spoken words that clarify, encouraged those who were about to quit. Your words have put stumbling people on their feet, put fresh hope in people about to collapse. But now you’re the one in trouble—you’re hurting! You’ve been hit hard and you’re reeling from the blow. But shouldn’t your devout life give you confidence now? Shouldn’t your exemplary life give you hope? “Think! Has a truly innocent person ever ended up on the scrap heap? Do genuinely upright people ever lose out in the end? It’s my observation that those who plow evil and sow trouble reap evil and trouble. One breath from God and they fall apart, one blast of his anger and there’s nothing left of them. The mighty lion, king of the beasts, roars mightily,
but when he’s toothless he’s useless No teeth, no prey and the cubs wander off to fend for themselves. “A word came to me in secret a mere whisper of a word, but I heard it clearly. It came in a scary dream one night, after I had fallen into a deep, deep sleep. Dread stared me in the face, and Terror. I was scared to death—I shook from head to foot. A spirit glided right in front of me the hair on my head stood on end. I couldn’t tell what it was that appeared there a blur … and then I heard a muffled voice: “ ‘How can mere mortals be more righteous than God? How can humans be purer than their Creator? Why, God doesn’t even trust his own servants, doesn’t even cheer his angels, So how much less these bodies composed of mud, fragile as moths? These bodies of ours are here today and gone tomorrow, and no one even notices—gone without a trace. When the tent stakes are ripped up, the tent collapses we die and are never the wiser for having lived.’ ”

                              Job 4:1–21 (MSG)

– Reflection:

What I perceive when I read Eliphaz’s words is that Satan appeared to him in a dream and showed him visions suggesting there has never been a truly righteous person. Even his friend Job had to do something to deserve the suffering he’s going through. Surely, Job, you must have done something to reap this. Though your words have previously helped others, now it’s your turn to face hardship, and I have to say it own your faults too. That’s what I gather from his words. He should have just kept quiet because the vision he had was definitely from Satan, since GOD Himself trusted Job. Job has never once cursed GOD, even amidst the problems and storms he’s facing at that moment. The one who sent that vision has been allowed to test GOD’s best servant for a time. What Eliphaz showed was that he himself was easier to sway than Job, speaking to one of his oldest friends in that way. He’s supposed to know his friend and what he stands for, but now he criticizes right along with everyone else and Satan. His speech reminds us that offering comfort requires more than logic or tradition; it demands humility, compassion, and a willingness to sit with mystery.

– Where do we go from here?

Eliphaz’s mistakes teach us a valuable lesson about how even well-meaning people can become sources of discouragement when they speak without discernment. If we truly want to walk with others through suffering, we must first learn to listen not only to their pain but also to the Spirit of truth. Eliphaz was misled by a deceptive vision that influenced his theology and his response to Job, showing how easily we can be led astray spiritually when we rely solely on our understanding. Moving forward, we need to adopt a humble approach in our advice, avoiding the temptation to explain every hardship or assign blame. Instead, we should aim to be faithful friends who listen, pray, and stay patient, especially when clarity is lacking. Let us be people who reflect God’s heart, not Satan’s accusations, trusting that righteousness can suffer unjustly yet still remain steadfast. In a world filled with voices like Eliphaz’s, may we choose to be more like Job: unwavering in faith, even when misunderstood.

– Our Prayer for Today

Father, thank You for the wisdom in Your Word and the lessons we learn through both truth and error. Help us to be slow to speak and quick to listen, especially when others are hurting. Teach us to offer comfort not with judgment, but with grace. Guard our hearts from pride and presumption, and give us discernment to recognize what is from You and what is not. Like Job, may we remain faithful in trials, and like true friends, may we sit with others in their suffering without trying to explain it away. Let our words bring healing, not harm. And when we don’t understand, help us to trust You more. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

– Today’s Community Scripture – 7/1/2025

“Obliterate the day I was born. Blank out the night I was conceived! Let it be a black hole in space. May God above forget it ever happened.
Erase it from the books! May the day of my birth be buried in deep darkness, shrouded by the fog, swallowed by the night. And the night of my conception—the devil take it! Rip the date off the calendar, delete it from the almanac. Oh, turn that night into pure nothingness no sounds of pleasure from that night, ever! May those who are good at cursing curse that day. Unleash the sea beast, Leviathan, on it. May its morning stars turn to black cinders, waiting for a daylight that never comes,
never once seeing the first light of dawn. And why? Because it released me from my mother’s womb into a life with so much trouble.

Job 3:1–26 (MSG)

– Reflection:

After enduring unimaginable loss, His children, health, and livelihood, Job breaks his silence not with a request for healing, but with a heart that questions the very purpose of his existence. He curses the day of his birth, wishing it had never happened, and longs for the peace of death over the agony of life. His words reflect the depth of his anguish and the feeling that life, once full of meaning, has become a burden too heavy to bear. Job’s anguish is not just about personal pain; it’s an essentially spiritual and existential cry, asking why life is given to those who suffer without relief. In this moment, Job gives voice to the universal human experience of grief and confusion in the face of suffering, making his cry timeless and deeply relatable. His suffering is not just about pain; it’s about the loss of meaning—the collapse of a moral universe where good is rewarded and evil is punished. His cry is a protest, a lament, and a search for answers in the face of inexplicable suffering. I didn’t paste the entire passage of Job 3 this morning, hoping that the taste of what I did paste would inspire you to research it yourself. Job is an excellent book about some of the things we as humans experience not to his extent, but we can understand, on a small level, what he went through.

– Where do we go from here?

When the weight of despair feels overwhelming and your heart feels shattered beyond recognition, the first step forward isn’t to fix everything; it’s simply to breathe and acknowledge the pain. Like Job, you may not understand why suffering has come, and that mystery can feel defeating. But even in the silence, even without answers, your cry matters. From here, you move forward not by leaping but by inching—one honest prayer, one trusted friend, one small act of care at a time. Healing doesn’t start with clarity; it starts with presence, with allowing yourself to be seen, heard, and held, even if only by God in the quiet. You don’t need the strength to rise today; you only need the courage not to give up. And that, in itself, is sacred.

– Our Prayer for Today

Father, hold my broken heart in Your hands. Sit with me in silence. And when I cannot walk, carry me. When I cannot pray, let this groan suffice. And when I cannot hope, be hope for me. Amen.