Daily Manna 12 October
TEXT: Job 30:15-31
15. Terrors are turned upon me; they pursue my soul as the wind; and my welfare passeth away as a cloud.
16. And now my soul is poured out upon me; the days of affliction have taken hold upon me.
17. My bones are pierced in me in the night season; and my sinews take no rest.
18. By the great force of my disease is my garment changed; it bindeth me about as the collar of my coat.
19. He hath cast me into the mire, and I am become like dust and ashes.
20. I cry unto thee, and thou dost not hear me; I stand up, and thou regardest me not.
21. Thou art become cruel to me; with thy strong hand thou opposest thyself against me.
22. Thou liftest me up to the wind; thou causest me to ride upon it, and dissolvest my substance.
23. For I know that thou wilt bring me to death, and to the house appointed for all living.
24. Howbeit he will not stretch out his hand to the grave, though they cry in his destruction.
25. Did not I weep for him that was in trouble? was not my soul grieved for the poor?
26. When I looked for good, then evil came unto me; and when I waited for light, there came darkness.
27. My bowels boiled, and rested not; the days of affliction prevented me.
28. I went mourning without the sun; I stood up, and I cried in the congregation.
29. I am a brother to dragons, and a companion to owls.
30. My skin is black upon me, and my bones are burned with heat.
31. My harp also is turned to mourning, and my organ into the voice of them that weep.
Key Verse: “Did not I weep for him that was in trouble? was not my soul grieved for the poor? When I looked for good, then evil came unto me: and when I waited for light, there came darkness.” – Job 30:25, 26
Read yesterday’s Daily Manna here
Midnight is a time people are supposed to be sleeping in their homes under normal circumstances. It is a time of “third watch” in Israel and near East. It is a time believers ought to “watch and pray” because it is also the time the powers of darkness are mostly active. But “midnight” can also mean a time of intense suffering, difficulties and discouragement. Many saints of God like Job, Jeremiah, Elijah, Moses and so on, all went through ‘midnight’ experiences.
Here, we see the lamentations of Job, who could not understand the reason(s) for his travails. His three friends that had come to comfort him did not help matters. Out of extreme exasperation he cried out, “Terrors are turned upon me… days of affliction have taken hold upon me…By the great force of my disease is my garment changed… I cry unto thee, and thou dost not hear me…Thou art become cruel to me.”
The sufferings of the righteous have been the subject of great debates among God’s people. Here, Job who actually was a righteous person and had wept “for him that was in trouble”, whose soul had been “grieved for the poor” could not understand why he had to go through all that he was going through. In life generally, many things happen that man does not understand. But the solution has always been to trust God who knows all things and has power over all things.
The case of Job was peculiarly difficult because he did not know that it was not God but Satan that brought those evil on him. However, God has promised that His people will not be tempted above what they can bear (1 Corinthians 10:13). But let the believer make sure he is not suffering for sin or unbelief, because God will always moderate everything He allows for His glory.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Tough times are not for ever; wade through to the next level.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Isaiah 26-29
Thanks for reading Today’s Daily Manna –A Cry At “Midnight” – by Pastor W. F. Kumuyi.
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Daily Manna 12 October 2020 Devotional
