| Day 47: Read today's devotional on Bible Gateway. Job 10:1-22 The next friend to speak is Bildad. Job responds to Bildad and then expresses his confusion to God. An Anguished ArgumentRead"'You formed me with your hands; you made me, yet now you completely destroy me. Remember that you made me from dust—will you turn me back to dust so soon? You guided my conception and formed me in the womb. You clothed me with skin and flesh, and you knit my bones and sinews together. You gave me life and showed me your unfailing love. My life was preserved by your care. "'Yet your real motive—your true intent—was to watch me, and if I sinned, you would not forgive my guilt. If I am guilty, too bad for me; and even if I'm innocent, I can't hold my head high, because I am filled with shame and misery. And if I hold my head high, you hunt me like a lion and display your awesome power against me. Again and again you witness against me. You pour out your growing anger on me and bring fresh armies against me.'"
(Job 10:8-17) ReflectIn frustration, Job jumped to the conclusion that God was out to get him. He could only see life from his human perspective and had no idea of the bigger picture or the end of the story. His focus, quite naturally, was on his current predicament and not on God's purpose and goodness. Like Job, our perspective is extremely limited—we cannot know the future or all of the other events that are occurring in the world. So we should be careful about using our experiences to make assumptions about life in general. Wrong assumptions lead to wrong conclusions. Job began to wallow in self-pity. When we face baffling affliction, our pain can lure us toward feeling sorry for ourselves. At this point we are only one step away from self-righteousness, where we keep track of life's injustices and say, "Look what happened to me; how unfair it is!" We may feel like blaming God. If you find yourself doubting God, remember that you probably can't see the whole picture. And when you are struggling, don't assume the worst. God wants only the very best for you. Many people endure great pain, but ultimately they find some greater good came from it. RespondRemember that life's trials, whether allowed by God or sent by God, can be the means for development and refinement. When facing trials, instead of asking, "Who did this to me and how can I get out of it?" ask, "What can I learn and how can I grow?" | 
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