Job, Jonah, and Joseph

 

What do Job, Jonah, and Joseph have in common, other than their names starting with J? I've been thinking about these three men and how they endured their circumstances. All three of them found themselves trapped by life circumstances. I don't want to disqualify Jonah, even though he did it to himself by choosing to deliberately and rebelliously disobey God.

Why not toss Jonah out of this respectable group of men? Seriously. He was in the dark, dank, belly of the whale because he disobeyed. That doesn't even hold a candle to the other two, who continued to seek and serve God even when their “perfect” worlds fell apart.

I didn't choose these three because of their integrity or grit. I've been thinking about how God met them.

Job lost all his riches, the wealth he had stored up, and the good reputation that went with it. Soon after, he lost his health. He was so sick, his close friends didn't even recognize him when they came to check on him. Then, they sat with him for 7 days without saying a single word. That's grief. That's loss. That's understanding the pain. Of course, then they began to “think” with their religious minds, and they added to Job's misery, in my opinion.

Joseph found himself in a dark, dank prison cell through no fault of his own. As a teen, he was betrayed by his jealous brothers and sold off into slavery. He refused to give in to Potipher's wife's solicitation because he maintained his fear of God. Now, he's sitting in a prison cell.

These three men found themselves in the deepest, darkest, most hopeless life situations. Yes, they trusted God. Even Jonah knew enough to call out to Him in the belly of the whale, asking for mercy. 

Here's the thing: God met them all in their darkest moments.

He didn't hesitate, even though it can feel like it when so much time passes by, right?

He met them. 

I found this encouraging because sometimes, caregiving can be a blessing. But other times, it can feel like a deep dark place where emotions overrun common sense. We can feel so alone. Shoot, we can be very alone. Friends grieve with us at first, then they move on. Or they try to give us religious advice, without understanding. We can be an emotional mess. At least I can! lol.

Today, I will remind myself that God meets me where I am, even if it's a mess I made myself, like Jonah. He is not scared of the dark. I'll think about how God moved in closer to these three and brought true deliverance, and I'll remind myself that He is still in the business of delivering souls. My prayer is that He delivers my soul from anger, grief, sadness, and overwhelm, as He replaces these with peace, joy, contentment, and satisfaction in Him. I'm so glad He hears me when I call - even without words. I think I can trust Him for one more day. Will you join me?

Today is a good day to peace out! Check out my 31-day devotional on Kindle or in Print!

You can also get the eBook in my shop at BuyMeACoffee!