Job 13:20-21

20 Only do [`asah] not two [shanayim] things unto me: then will I not hide [cathar] myself from thee [paniym].

21 Withdraw [rachaq] thine hand [kaph] far [rachaq] from me: and let not thy dread ['eymah] make me afraid [ba`ath]. KJV-Interlinear

20 'Only two things do not do to me, Then I will not hide from Thy face: 21 Remove Thy hand from me, And let not the dread of Thee terrify me. NASB

Often times we will pray, or hope, or wish, for the things that we want in this life. And, just as often, we do not get the things we pray for, hope for, or wish for? And then, what is our reaction?

Well, for many it is back to the tantrum stage of life, demonstrating that our spiritual life is shallow and our faith weak at best.

Understanding God, means more than just knowing the various stories in the Bible. Understanding God also means being oriented to reality.

And part of that understanding means knowing that the world is partial to those who reject God, and antagonistic toward those who pursue God in their lives.

By choosing to pursue God, Christ, doctrine and therefore your spiritual life, you by default make yourself the enemy of this world. But then again, the world has its power, while you will possess the power of God within you. The world cannot begin to match the power and resources of God.

That alone should give you phenomenal peace of mind, even in the face of your worldly disappointments.

No matter what you might have in this world, no matter what you want in your life, no matter what you pursue in this world, God has something greater waiting for you, both during this life, and especially in the next life. Approach your life as an endlessly open-ended adventure. In all adventures there are trials, barriers, and of course the eventual triumph.

Remember that even if God grants your desires, and especially if he does not, the things of this world are nothing. Therefore, do not boast in what you have, neither brag to others of your prosperity, and if you do not accomplish as much as the neighbors, even if you are an obvious failure in life by worldly standards, again that result of your worldly life, is nothing.

What matters, is the doctrine in you. That is the only thing, in the long run, that really matters.

Job was not afraid of his misery. Granted he did not feel well and would prefer to have all the pain and discomfort go away, but his real worry was God. And thus his two-fold request.

He asks that God would withdraw his hand for a time, and not terrify him. And this request God grants to everyone.

Man alone, cannot survive without God. Man alone, cannot remove his miseries. Man alone, lives a life of terror, because man has no knowledge of his afterlife, apart from the revelation of Bible doctrine. And with no knowledge, man has only his own pretense, his own inventions of afterlife, or his own imaginations. None of which have any foundation in fact. Therefore, there is no security or confidence in anything coming from this world.

So God gives us all His own power through His written Word, through His only Son, and through the sustaining ministry of the Holy Spirt. Your relief is the environment of your spiritual life within the fellowship sphere, and your case is brought before God by Jesus Christ. Therefore, your confidence, not fear, is in your faith.

Throughout life we will have our ups and downs. It is far better and easier, to get to know God and to grow up within ones spiritual life when your life is on an upswing. That should be obvious. When things are going badly, then you more often than not, are distracted and have more trouble concentrating because of your problems.

But what do most folks do? When times are good, they find themselves too busy to deal with their spiritual life, and when times are bad, they do not have the inner resources to fall back on, in order to rely on God.

Job is our classic example of what to do in life. He was successful and wealthy. He set his priority on his spiritual life, rather than on his wealth and prosperity. And now, when life is hammering him, he is dealing with the trouble better than even his friends.

He is methodically and systematically thinking his way through this ordeal, and they are having collective cows trying to get him to roll over and give up.

Job is interested in God, and in discovering his future. His friends are more interested in elevating themselves as men of wisdom, worldly wisdom, in the eyes of everyone present.

God deals with positive believers, honorably. God lets negative people have the entire resources of the world, for whatever good it will do them.

Now is the time to post a prayer.