July 12th

In seasons of suffering, it might seem like we are drowning in our despair, we might conclude that either God has abandoned you or that your pain is the consequence of something you did.  In reading the story of Job, we discover that there is purpose and design behind the darkest seasons of life.  Another name for God is Adonai, and it is used over 400 times in the Bible and means The Sovereign One. 

I find it interesting that Adonai is not used anywhere in the book of Job, a book all about suffering.  It is as if God intentionally wanted it that way with the book of Job because of how we are and feel when we suffer.  How easy is it for us to assume that our suffering and Gods sovereignty are at odds?  The enemy (the devil) and our flesh would love to convince our hearts of the lie that Gods infinite sovereignty and perfect goodness cannot allow for the suffering of His people.  That lie cannot be any further from the truth!  It is because God is infinitely loving and perfectly good that suffering is a part of the Christian life, for why else would the apostle Paul write, For our momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal(2 Cor. 4:17-18).

Although the name Adonai is not seen throughout the book of Job, Gods sovereignty oozes from the pages and life of Job.  Job understood that God was Adonai, he understood that there was purpose behind the death of his children, the destruction of his family business, and the deterioration of his health.  Let this truth settle on your heart today: foolish concepts such as karma, luck, and chance cannot coexist in a reality where Adonai reigns, for the scriptures declare: I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying, My plan will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure(Isaiah 46:910).

This Sunday we will turn our hearts, minds, and eyes to Ephesians 5:1-2.  To prepare your heart for worship on Sunday, you should take some time and think about every word in those two verses and what they mean for you.  I look forward to worshiping our God who overwhelms rebels with His love this Sunday during our 9:00 and 10:30 AM worship services!

Grace,

Pastor Keith