The Daily Lectionary for MONDAY, April 29, 2019

A Vision of Christ

The Daily Lectionary

MONDAY, April 29, 2019

(Revised Common Lectionary Year C)

Psalm 122

Song of Praise and Prayer for Jerusalem
A Song of Ascents. Of David.
1  I was glad when they said to me,
     “Let us go to the house of the Lord!”
2  Our feet are standing
     within your gates, O Jerusalem.

3  Jerusalem—built as a city
     that is bound firmly together.
4  To it the tribes go up,
     the tribes of the Lord,
   as was decreed for Israel,
     to give thanks to the name of the Lord.
5  For there the thrones for judgment were set up,
     the thrones of the house of David.

6  Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
     “May they prosper who love you.
7  Peace be within your walls,
     and security within your towers.”
8  For the sake of my relatives and friends
     I will say, “Peace be within you.”
9  For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
     I will seek your good.

Esther 7:1-10

7:1 So the king and Haman went in to feast with Queen Esther. 2 On the second day, as they were drinking wine, the king again said to Esther, “What is your petition, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled.” 3 Then Queen Esther answered, “If I have won your favor, O king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be given me—that is my petition—and the lives of my people—that is my request. 4 For we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. If we had been sold merely as slaves, men and women, I would have held my peace; but no enemy can compensate for this damage to the king.” 5 Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther, “Who is he, and where is he, who has presumed to do this?” 6 Esther said, “A foe and enemy, this wicked Haman!” Then Haman was terrified before the king and the queen. 7 The king rose from the feast in wrath and went into the palace garden, but Haman stayed to beg his life from Queen Esther, for he saw that the king had determined to destroy him. 8 When the king returned from the palace garden to the banquet hall, Haman had thrown himself on the couch where Esther was reclining; and the king said, “Will he even assault the queen in my presence, in my own house?” As the words left the mouth of the king, they covered Haman’s face. 9 Then Harbona, one of the eunuchs in attendance on the king, said, “Look, the very gallows that Haman has prepared for Mordecai, whose word saved the king, stands at Haman’s house, fifty cubits high.” And the king said, “Hang him on that.” 10 So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the anger of the king abated.

Revelation 1:9-20

A Vision of Christ
1:9 I, John, your brother who share with you in Jesus the persecution and the kingdom and the patient endurance, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 I was in the spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet 11 saying, “Write in a book what you see and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamum, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.”

12 Then I turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the lampstands I saw one like the Son of Man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash across his chest. 14 His head and his hair were white as white wool, white as snow; his eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined as in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of many waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, and from his mouth came a sharp, two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining with full force.

17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he placed his right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I was dead, and see, I am alive forever and ever; and I have the keys of Death and of Hades. 19 Now write what you have seen, what is, and what is to take place after this. 20 As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

Optional parts of the readings are set off in [square brackets.]

The Bible texts of the Old Testament, Epistle and Gospel lessons are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Church of Christ in the USA, and used by permission.

The Daily Lectionary is a three year cyclical lectionary. We are currently in Year C. Beginning with the first Sunday of Advent in 2019, we will be in Year A. The year which ended at Advent 2018 was Year B. These readings complement the Sunday and festival readings: Thursday through Saturday readings help prepare the reader for the Sunday ahead; Monday through Wednesday readings help the reader reflect and digest on what they heard in worship. Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, copyright © 2005 Consultation on Common Texts. www.commontexts.org
I, John, your brother who share with you in Jesus the persecution and the kingdom and the patient endurance, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.

Verse of the Day for MONDAY, April 29, 2019

Job 19:25 (NIV) I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth.

Read all of Job 19

Listen to Job 19

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Un dia a la Vez - Monday, April 29, 2019

Promesas sin cumplir

¡Sé fuerte y valiente! ¡No tengas miedo ni te desanimes! [...] ¡pon manos a la obra, y que el Señor te acompañe!

~ 1 Crónicas 22:13, 16 (NVI)

Ya falta un día para que se acabe este cuarto mes del año y te está preocupando que muchas de las cosas que prometiste cambiar en el inicio del año aún no las puedes cumplir.

En este día, te motivo a que no te des por vencido. Un hábito no se cambia de la noche a la mañana, ni tampoco dejar de hacer algo que sabemos que no es la voluntad de Dios. A decir verdad, nos cuesta muchísimo cumplirlo.

Por lo tanto, nuestra oración diaria debe ser pedirle a Dios que nos permita desarrollar el dominio propio y estoy segura que, con el favor de Jesús, lo lograremos.

No te desanimes, Dios te ama y te ayudará a cumplir tus promesas.

Repítete: «Yo puedo, yo lo haré, yo lo lograré. Lo que me propongo, eso haré».

De ese modo, estoy segura que lograremos cumplir nuestras promesas.

¡Ánimo, aún nos faltan ocho meses para hacerlo!

Un Día a la Vez Copyright © by Claudia Pinzón
Ya falta un día para que se acabe este cuarto mes del año y te está preocupando que muchas de las cosas que prometiste cambiar en el inicio del año aún no las puedes cumplir.

Standing Strong Through the Storm - Monday, April 29, 2019

GOD USES PROBLEMS AND PERSECUTION TO CORRECT YOU

"...It was the best thing that could have happened to me, for it taught me to pay attention to your laws.”

~ Psalm 119:71-72 (TLB)

Here is another of five ways God uses problems and persecution in your life: God uses problems and persecution to CORRECT you.

Some lessons we learn only through pain and failure. It is likely that as a child your parents told you not to touch a hot stove. But you probably learned by being burned. Sometimes we only learn the value of something—health, money, a relationship—by losing it. 

John 17 clearly teaches that He does not desire to have His church in the comforts of a problem-free society. He desires for His church to be faithful in the midst of trials and testing.

During a recent visit to Indonesia, some co-workers had the joy of participating in an Open Doors Standing Strong Through the Storm (SSTS) seminar held in an area of intense conflict. The constant presence of armed soldiers outside the building confirmed that this seminar was far more than just a theology course—this was reality! More than seven hundred churches were already burned to the ground and the church was facing a severe onslaught.

On the second day of teaching, one pastor suddenly jumped up and with all his heart cried out: “My brother, please don’t teach us just to survive, teach us to be faithful.”

In understanding God’s purposes for the church it is vital to understand His requirements for us to remain faithful within these purposes. Faithfulness is not a request it is the duty of every believer. “Teach us to be faithful in the midst of our circumstances” should be a far greater priority in our prayers than that of making our society a safer place. Perseverance is far more important than transformation or preservation.

William Barclay said the following about praying for our circumstances. “When we pray for ourselves and others, we should not ask for the release from any task or situation, but strength to complete it and endure it. Prayer should be for power and seldom for release: not release but conquest must be the keynote of the church.”

RESPONSE: God is at work in my life—even when I do not recognize it or understand it. It is much easier and more profitable when I cooperate with Him. This is the way to victory!

PRAYER: Lord, teach us to be faithful in the midst of our circumstances.

Standing Strong Through The Storm (SSTS), a daily devotional message by SSTS author Paul Estabrooks. © 2011 Open Doors International. Used by permission.

Women of the Bible - Monday, April 29, 2019

Hannah

Her name means: "Graciousness" or "Favor" 

Her character: Provoked by another woman's malice, she refused to respond in kind. Instead, she poured out her hurt and sorrow to God, allowing him to vindicate her.
Her sorrow: To be taunted and misunderstood.
Her joy: To proclaim God's power and goodness, his habit of raising the lowly and humbling the proud.
Key Scriptures: 1 Samuel 1:1-2:11; 2:19-21

Her Story

It was only fifteen miles, but every year the journey from Ramah, to worship at the tabernacle in Shiloh, seemed longer. At home, Hannah found ways to avoid her husband's second wife, but once in Shiloh there was no escaping her taunts. Hannah felt like a leaky tent in a driving rain, unable to defend herself against the harsh weather of the other woman's heart.

Even Elkanah's arm around her provided no shelter. "Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don't you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don't I mean more to you than ten sons? Yes, she has given me children, but it's you I love. Ignore her taunts."

How could Hannah make him understand that even the best of men could not erase a woman's longing for children? His attempt to comfort her only sharpened the pain, heightening her sense of isolation.

Once inside the tabernacle Hannah stood for a long time, weeping and praying. Her lips moved without making a sound as her heart poured out its grief to God: "O Lord Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant's misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head."

The priest Eli was used to people coming to Shiloh to celebrate the feasts, eating and drinking more than they should. Watching Hannah from his chair by the doorpost of the temple, he wondered why her shoulders were shaking, her lips moving without making a sound. She must be drunk, he concluded. So he interrupted her silent prayer with a rebuke: "How long will you keep on getting drunk? Get rid of your wine."

"Not so, my lord," Hannah defended herself. "I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the Lord. Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief."

Satisfied by her explanation, Eli blessed her, saying, "May the God of Israel grant your request."

Early the next morning, Hannah and Elkanah returned to their home in Ramah, where Hannah at last conceived. Soon she held against her shoulder the tiny child she had yearned for, the son she had dedicated to God. After Samuel was weaned, she took him to Eli at Shiloh. Like Jochebed placing the child Moses into the waters of the Nile as though into God's own hands, she surrendered her child to the priest's care. Eventually Hannah's boy became a prophet and Israel's last judge. His hands anointed both Saul and David as Israel's first kings.

Like Sarah and Rachel, Hannah grieved over the children she couldn't have. But unlike them, she took her anguish directly to God. Misunderstood by both her husband and her priest, she could easily have turned her sorrow on herself or others, becoming bitter, hopeless, or vindictive. But instead of merely pitying herself or responding in kind, she poured out her soul to God. And God graciously answered her prayer.

Each year Hannah went up to Shiloh and presented Samuel with a little robe she had sewn. And each year, the priest Eli blessed her husband, Elkanah, saying, "May the Lord give you children by this woman to take the place of the one she prayed for and gave to the Lord." And so Hannah became the mother of three more sons and two daughters. Hannah's great prayer, echoed more than a thousand years later by Mary, the mother of Jesus (Luke 1:46-55), expresses her praise: "My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance…. The Lord sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts. He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap" (1 Samuel 2:1, 7-8).

Her Promise

When God met Hannah at the temple in Shiloh, he not only answered her prayer for a child, he answered her prayer for comfort in her misery. He gave her consolation in her disappointment and strength to face her situation. Scripture does not say that she went away sure she would bear a child, but it does make it clear that she went away comforted: "Her face was no longer downcast" (1 Samuel 1:18). What even the love and care of her husband Elkanah could not provide, God could provide.

God is willing to meet us just as he met Hannah. Whatever our distress, whatever hard situations we face, he is willing—more than that, he is eager—to meet our needs and give us his grace and comfort. No other person—not our husband, not our closest friends, not our parents, not our children—can render the relief, support, and encouragement that our God has waiting for us.

This devotional is drawn from Women of the Bible: A One-Year Devotional Study of Women in Scripture by Ann Spangler and Jean Syswerda. Used with permission.
Provoked by another woman's malice, she refused to respond in kind. Instead, she poured out her hurt and sorrow to God, allowing him to vindicate her.

Girlfriends in God - Monday, April 29, 2019

Where’s a Frustrated Sister to Go?

Gwen Smith

Today’s Truth

I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever.

~ Psalm 52:8b (ESV)

Friend to Friend

I remember lining the hallways at West Hempfield Elementary School when we had severe weather drills. The teachers would have us sit side by side against the inner concrete walls, quiet sticks up, until the training exercise was complete.

Fire drills took us outside.

Severe weather drills, inside.

We knew which way to go based upon the type of drill.

Sadly, nowadays students don’t just have drills for fires and natural disasters, but also to prepare for evil attacks on humanity by humanity. We teach children how they should respond in the event of a shooter being on school grounds so they know the places to go to find protection and safety. My heart doesn’t even know how to process the angst of having to have such drills.

It’s hard to know what to do with feelings of frustration when it comes to the evil in this world.

In Psalm 52, David’s mad about evil.

But God will break you down forever;

he will snatch and tear you from your tent;

he will uproot you from the land of the living. Selah 

6 The righteous shall see and fear,

and shall laugh at him, saying,

7 “See the man who would not make

God his refuge,

but trusted in the abundance of his riches

and sought refuge in his own destruction!”

(Psalm 52:5-7)

Stirred by a righteous anger over the arrogant and harmful actions of a non-believer. As he sifts through his frustrations, David points out that the evil guy (Doeg) did not make God his stronghold (v7 NIV)... his refuge (v7 ESV).

This stood out to me. One key fault David saw in the arrogant, evil man was that he didn’t turn to God, but relied on his own money and power.

I want to make God my stronghold and refuge, but have a tendency to do things on my own sometimes. I don’t ever want to be found in the camp of the arrogant. Instead, I want to be a woman who trusts in the steadfast love of God, gives Him thanks in all circumstances, and hopes in His name like the psalmist.

8 But I am like a green olive tree

in the house of God.

I trust in the steadfast love of God

forever and ever.

9 I will thank you forever,

because you have done it.

I will wait for your name, for it is good,

in the presence of the godly.

(Psalm 52:5-9, ESV)

The Hebrew word used for refuge here (v7) is ma òwz, which means a place or means of safety, protection or refuge.

A place.

Hmmm.

Is God’s presence the place I go when I’m angry about evil or frustrated with the actions of other people?

If I’ve been hurt or offended, do I bend a knee in prayer or bend the ear of whoever’s closest in proximity?

Do I trust God with the outcome and give Him thanks for the opportunities to lean on Him through hard times?

I’m challenged to live differently than those who don’t know and trust in God.

The best choice is to take my anger directly to the Lord when evil stirs me up. God’s presence connects frazzled hearts to peace.

Everyday you and I face fire drills of frustration and we interact with people who don’t know or want to please Jesus. How will I respond to the sassy response from my teenager? Will the tone I use with my spouse or co-worker be honoring or sarcastic? Will I try to “fix things” or accomplish greatness on my own or in the strength of God. What will I do with the fears and discontent screaming in my heart after watching that cable news channel?

I want to have a godly plan of action that honors the Lord and loves others well when I’m stirred up. Don’t you?

While this will play out differently in every situation, I think a good starting point for all of us is to step into sacred chambers of holiness and turn to God as the stronghold and refuge we need.

Let’s Pray

Dear Lord, Injustice and evil are constant companions here on earth. Can’t wait for you to take care of all that! Until then, Lord, please teach me what it looks like to make You my stronghold and refuge. Draw me to Your presence and help me hash out my frustrations with You instead of with others. Stir my eyes to seek You constantly.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.

Now It’s Your Turn

What source of frustrations is God nudging you to surrender to Him today? Who or what has you stirred up? What would trusting God with that/them look like? Tell me on the wall of my blog or on Instagram.

More from the Girlfriends

Friend! The GRACEOLOGIE with Gwen Smith podcast will meet you right in the middle of your frustrations and tensions. Hang out with Gwen and friends when you commute to work, go on walks, exercise, run errands or travel. Podcasts are also perfect to listen to as you do household chores! (Laundry anyone?) Each GRACEOLOGIE with Gwen Smith podcast episode is filled with fun, faith-focused, grace-filled conversations that will help you know and trust God more.

These discussions are going to encourage you in meaningful ways to live out and lean on the GRACE of Jesus in the midst of cluttered, messy days. CLICK HERE to listen on iTunes, or visit GwenSmith.net/Graceologie for more information.

SPECIAL OFFER: If today’s message is where you are and you need more practical help, we have a resource called Trusting God. Gwen is offering a 20% OFF discount on the Trusting God book from her site when you use the coupon code: 20OFF. Click here to get yours now.

Seeking God?

Click HERE to find out more about how to have a personal

relationship with Jesus Christ.

Girlfriends in God

www.girlfriendsingod.com

I remember lining the hallways at West Hempfield Elementary School when we had severe weather drills. The teachers would have us sit side by side against the inner concrete walls, quiet sticks up, until the training exercise was complete.

LHM Daily Devotions - With the Morning

"With the Morning"

Apr. 29, 2019

For His anger is but for a moment, and His favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.

~ Psalm 30:5 (ESV)

Throughout His earthly ministry, the Lord Jesus followed the custom of meeting for worship in the temple and in the synagogue. In worship and personal prayer, He surely offered up praise and petitions to His Heavenly Father in the words of the psalms. On the night He was betrayed, Jesus and His disciples sang a hymn before they went out to Gethsemane (see Mark 14:26), very likely part of the Hallel—Psalms 113-118—used in the Passover celebration. His work on the cross complete, Jesus committed His spirit into His Father's hands, in a prayer like that of Psalm 31:5, "Into Your hand I commit My spirit." Scripture records His anguished cry from Psalm 22:1a, "My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?" Although we consider only a single verse here, all of Psalm 30 could have served as an Easter morning prayer for our Lord, summing up both His suffering and "the joy that was set before Him" (Hebrews 12:2b).

Desolation and grief tarried for the night in Gethsemane, but there was no joy in the morning that followed, only suffering and death. On the cross, Jesus endured God's wrath against human sin and rebellion. His Father turned away, abandoning His Son to the suffering and shame of the cross, and the Savior cried out, "My God ... why?" Jesus endured the Father's anger and judgment so that we might enjoy His favor for a lifetime, for all eternity.

Committing Himself into His Father's hands, Jesus yielded up His spirit. Surely His followers wept that night, and the next as well, knowing that their Lord's body was sealed in a dark tomb. Weeping may have tarried for more than one night, but there is no doubt that joy came with the next morning! At the empty tomb, on that first Easter morning, the angel announced the glad news to the women: "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, as He said" (Matthew 28:5b-6a).

In repentant fear, we acknowledge that we have earned God's anger against our sin. But God in His grace—His undeserved favor for sinners—sent His Son to be our Savior. Jesus took the divine wrath against sin, and the penalty of death that we deserved, onto Himself. Even so, there are times in our lives when the weeping, loss, and grief seem to tarry much longer than a single night. Yet because Christ Jesus endured the anguish and abandonment of the cross, our weeping is temporary; it lingers only a little while. Joy will always come in the morning, the joy that dawned on that first Easter, a joy that cannot be shaken, a joy that will last for all eternity.

THE PRAYER: Crucified and risen Lord, in those times when our weeping tarries, draw us through Your Word to the Easter joy that will never fade or fail. Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler. Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
Throughout His earthly ministry, the Lord Jesus followed the custom of meeting for worship in the temple and in the synagogue.

Devocional de la CPTLN del 29 de Abril de 2019 - En la mañana

ALIMENTO DIARIO

En la mañana

29 de Abril de 2019

Su enojo dura sólo un momento, pero su bondad dura toda la vida. Tal vez lloremos durante la noche, pero en la mañana saltaremos de alegría.

~ Salmo 30:5 (RVC)

A lo largo de su ministerio terrenal, el Señor Jesús siguió la costumbre de reunirse para adorar en el templo y en la sinagoga. En la adoración y oración personal, ciertamente ofreció alabanzas y peticiones a su Padre celestial en las palabras de los salmos. La noche en que fue traicionado, Jesús y sus discípulos cantaron un himno antes de ir a Getsemaní (ver Marcos 14:26), muy probablemente parte del Hallel (Salmos 113-118), utilizado en la celebración de la Pascua. Después que completó su obra en la cruz, Jesús entregó su espíritu en las manos de su Padre, en una oración como la del Salmo 31:5: "En tus manos encomiendo mi espíritu." La Escritura registra su angustioso clamor del Salmo 22:1a: "Dios mío, Dios mío, ¿por qué me has abandonado?" Aunque aquí consideramos un solo versículo, todo el Salmo 30 podría haber servido como una oración de la mañana de Pascua para nuestro Señor, resumiendo tanto su sufrimiento como "el gozo que le esperaba" (Hebreos 12:2b).

La desolación y el dolor se prolongaron durante la noche en Getsemaní, y a la mañana siguiente no hubo alegría: solo sufrimiento y muerte. En la cruz Jesús soportó la ira de Dios por el pecado humano. Su Padre le dio la espalda, abandonándolo al sufrimiento y a la vergüenza de la cruz, y el Salvador gritó: "Dios mío ... ¿por qué?" Jesús soportó la ira y el juicio del Padre para que pudiéramos disfrutar de su favor para toda la vida, para toda la eternidad.

Al entregarse a las manos de su Padre, Jesús entregó su espíritu. Seguramente sus seguidores lloraron esa noche y también la siguiente, sabiendo que el cuerpo de su Señor estaba sellado en una tumba oscura. El llanto pudo haber durado más de una noche, pero no hay duda de que la alegría llegó a la mañana siguiente. En la tumba vacía, en la primera mañana de Pascua, el ángel anunció las buenas noticias a las mujeres: "No teman. Yo sé que buscan a Jesús, el que fue crucificado. No está aquí, pues ha resucitado, como él dijo" (Mateo 28:5b-6a).

Con temor y arrepentimiento reconocemos que nos hemos ganado la ira de Dios por nuestro pecado. Pero Dios en su gracia, su favor inmerecido por los pecadores, envió a su Hijo a ser nuestro Salvador. Jesús cargó sobre sí mismo la ira divina por el pecado y la pena de muerte que merecíamos. Aun así, hay momentos en nuestras vidas en los que el llanto, la pérdida y el dolor parecen durar más que una sola noche. Sin embargo, debido a que Cristo Jesús soportó la angustia y el abandono de la cruz, nuestro llanto es temporal: permanece solo un momento. La alegría siempre vendrá por la mañana, la alegría que amaneció con la primera Pascua de Resurrección: una alegría que no puede ser sacudida, una alegría que durará toda la eternidad.

ORACIÓN: Señor crucificado y resucitado, en esos momentos en que nuestras penas nos embargan, llévanos a través de tu Palabra a la alegría de la Pascua que nunca se desvanecerá ni desaparecerá. Amén.

Dra. Carol Geisler

© Copyright 2019 Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones. Que a través de estos devocionales, la Palabra de Dios te refresque en tu diario caminar.
A lo largo de su ministerio terrenal, el Señor Jesús siguió la costumbre de reunirse para adorar en el templo y en la sinagoga.

Notre Pain Quotidien - Comprendre nos épreuves

Comprendre nos épreuves

Lisez : Job 12.13-25

La Bible en un an : 1 Rois 6 – 7 ; Luc 20.27-47

En Dieu résident la sagesse et la puissance ; le conseil et l’intelligence lui appartiennent. V. 13

Le père de mon amie a reçu le diagnostic tant redouté d’un cancer. Au fil de ses traitements de chimiothérapie, il en est toutefois venu à croire en Jésus et il a fini par entrer en rémission. Le cancer a alors disparu pendant dix-huit merveilleux mois, mais il est revenu – et pire qu’avant. Sa femme et lui ont affronté cette nouvelle réalité de ce retour du cancer avec des inquiétudes et des questions, mais aussi avec une grande confiance en Dieu parce que celui-ci les avait aidés à surmonter cette épreuve la première fois.

Nos épreuves ne nous seront pas toujours compréhensibles, comme cela a assurément été le cas pour Job, qui a vécu des souffrances et des deuils atroces et inexplicables. Malgré ses nombreuses questions, Job déclare que Dieu est puissant : « Ce qu’il renverse ne sera point rebâti » (Job 12.14) ; « Il possède la force et la prudence » (V. 16) ; « Il donne de l’accroissement aux nations, et il les fait périr » (V. 23). Dans toute sa longue énumération, Job ne précise pas les motivations de Dieu ni pourquoi celui-ci permet les souffrances. C’est que Job en ignore la raison. Pourtant, en dépit de tout, il affirme avec assurance : « En Dieu résident la sagesse et la puissance ; le conseil et l’intelligence lui appartiennent » (V. 13).

Il se peut que nous ignorions pourquoi Dieu ne nous épargne pas certaines épreuves, reste qu’à l’instar des parents de mon amie, nous pouvons placer notre confiance en lui. Il nous aime et il nous tient dans sa main (V. 10 ; 1 PI 5.7). Sagesse, puissance et intelligence lui appartiennent !

Dans l’épreuve, nous avons l’assurance que Dieu est aux commandes.

par Julie Schwab

© 2019 Ministères NPQ
Le père de mon amie a reçu le diagnostic tant redouté d’un cancer. Au fil de ses traitements de chimiothérapie, il en est toutefois venu à croire en Jésus et il a fini par entrer en rémission.