Gift of God Devotional

“And now my life ebbs away; days of suffering grip me. Night pierces my bones; my gnawing pains never rest. In his great power God becomes like clothing to me; he binds me like the neck of my garment. He throws me into the mud, and I am reduced to dust and ashes. I cry out to you, God, but you do not answer; I stand up, but you merely look at me. You turn on me ruthlessly; with the might of your hand you attack me. You snatch me up and drive me before the wind; you toss me about in the storm. I know you will bring me down to death, to the place appointed for all the living.” Job‬ ‭30‬:‭16‬-‭23‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Do you ever feel as if you are stuck in a constant loop of suffering? Do you feel as if you’ve been thrown into the mud under the bus by life, by the people around you, and even by God? Does it feel like you’re crying out to God in vain?

I cannot emphasize enough that we do not know God’s plan. God uses our hardships for our good. He uses them to prepare us and ready us for the things He has planned in our lives.

Even when it feels like God has tossed us into the wind and the storm (verse 22), He is shaping us. As the wind shapes the rocks of a cliff over time, so God shapes us with the storms in our lives. 

What storms are you facing that might be being used to shape you?