He was about to lose his life as he knew it. I’m so thankful for these years reading through the scriptures, getting to know the people and my God better each time. But interestingly, the frequency and familiarity don’t make it easier–sometimes it gets a little harder.
I want to hit pause as I read the opening lines of Job–a man of integrity, a man who feared God and stayed away from evil, a loving father of sons and daughters, his home a place of feasting. He was considered rich by his community’s standards, and by my own standards his heart for God and family make him truly wealthy. He was a disciplined man, and his life had a beautiful rhythm.
And he was about to lose his life as he knew it.
This time around, it’s hard to keep reading farther. The loss, the wrestle, the tugging pull of assumptions, accusations, confusion–and a lot of that comes later. His pain is deep; he wonders many things; he wants to erase the wounding and lock it all away from light. There are many things loss dredges up to the surface that survivors must confront. This is hard work.
I know if I sit here longer with Job, I will learn things. Because there will be a time when life feels upended, and life as it was known is lost. How do I look at Job’s grief when I can’t even resolve my own? I turn the pages and focus on this: the voice of the Lord.
Across the seas and among the cedars and oaks, the barren places and wilderness, his voice echoes, strikes, wrings, and strips.
The voice of the Lord is powerful;
the voice of the Lord is majestic (Psalm 29:4, NLT).
I listen for your voice, Lord.
10 The Lord rules over the floodwaters.
The Lord reigns as king forever.
11 The Lord gives his people strength.
The Lord blesses them with peace (Psalm 29:10-11, NLT).
Courtney (66books365)
Sixty-six books in a year 
I’m reminded that when Job is stripped, bleeding, and totally helpless that he truly hears the God he thought he knew. Only now God’s voice has a depth of meaning that could not be fathomed in the brightness of day. The wellspring of God’s love permeates every dark corner of our pain with His healing grace. We may stay in this special place with Him, anytime. I’m here today and thankful!
Isn’t that so true? In the blink of an eye life as we know it changes. Sometimes we just have to wrestle it out with God. We don’t like it, we don’t understand it, but know our Lord is sovereign. And He lovingly holds us in His arms and lets us cry the thing out to the point of surrender.