Though He Slay Me....

Though he slay me, I will hope in him; yet I will argue my ways to his face.  (Job 13:15, ESV)

Only grant me two things, then I will not hide myself from your face:
withdraw your hand far from me, and let not dread of you terrify me.  (Job 13:20-21, ESV)

Suffering and death are two very scary things.  None of us, I am sure, like to think about them.  I am not afraid so much of the dying...it is the suffering or even sometimes worse, at least for me..the anxiety before the suffering.  Sometimes, as the saying goes, we can die a thousand deaths before what we greatly fear comes upon us.  I like how Job handles this.  He purposes in his heart ahead of time to trust his God, come what may.  That way he doesn’t need to revisit the trust question when he is at his most vulnerable.  He also asks God not to withdraw His hand far from Him and to stop frightening him with such terrors.

Job is concerned with his misery...and he wants it to stop...but even more so with his relationship with his God.  I like that.  I want THAT.  I often think that the dread that comes upon me when something goes awry in my life comes from my life prior to my salvation.  When something happened to me then, my mind went into overdrive and was filled with ways for ME to attempt to regain control.  This ME pathway has taken root in my heart.  It is the one that has been most well traveled.  In my unthinking mind it is the obvious choice. By His Spirit, I need to course correct and allow the Spirit of God to use His word to do direct me down His right paths.

My mind and heart believe that God is for me...that He has my good in mind in whatever He decides to allow me to face.  SOMETIMES though, my heart is a WEE bit behind believing what my mind already knows.  This is where my anxiety and fear dwell....in the grey space between my mind and my heart.  I call it the “land of double mindedness”.  What do I do when fear inevitably attacks?  I remind myself that I am a new creation in Christ. Old things have passed away.  I immerse myself in the truth of His promises...I abide...I cling...I ask God to increase my faith and allow His peace to rule my heart.  Little by little, like the character “Much Afraid”  from Hinds Feet on High Places was, I am transformed.   I begin to look a little more like Acceptance-With-Joy and “Grace and Glory” as I surrender my fears and doubts and BELIEVE God.

You will keep him in perfect peace,
Whose mind is stayed on You,
Because he trusts in You.
Trust in the LORD forever,
For in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength.—Isaiah 26:3-4

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.
5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand;
6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me-practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:4-9, ESV)