I will never admit you are in the right; till I die, I will not deny my integrity. — Job 27:5
Job’s counselors had failed. They failed terribly in their goal to "sympathize with him and comfort him" (Job 2:11). And they failed to convince him that his sins were "endless" (Job 22:5).
Until God shows up, we are mired in the mud of conflict and broken relationships. Our differences seem irreconcilable. Job and his friends had reached an impasse. If God hadn’t intervened, I believe their friendship would have ended. They would have gone through life condemning his assumed hidden sins. And Job would have clung to his innocence.
But, if we can open the door to God in our conflicts, He does show up. He does shine His light. And then we all begin to see things from a whole new perspective. Without God we may be locked into differences that cannot be resolved, but with God there is reconciliation.
It’s this way in marriage. For example, I cannot figure out why my wife would do something to make me so angry. I take it to God and discover that the conflict had nothing to do with my wife. It had to do with something God wanted to heal inside of me. (She will probably print out this devotional and paste it on the wall!)
Anyway, we can be glad that God shows up!
Be encouraged!
Dwight
Dwight Clough is the author of four Christian books and is an active member of Lake City Church in Madison. This devotional is also available via email and you may review the archives back to 2002. To contact Dwight or Kim, use their contact form. You may also support their ministry.