Job 30-31 (*We were actually on ch. 28, but we incorrectly assumed, thus we will return back to that chapter tomorrow)
Ko:
Whenever hearing about Job, I would always wonder how I would’ve reacted if I were in his shoes. From what I’ve read so far, it seems that Job handled the situation way better than I would’ve. I most likely would have panicked (*wouldn’t be thinking straight) and acted irrationally. Thus, I can learn from Job in how he tried to seek out the reason behind why he was suffering instead of letting it overtake him.
I could also connect this to something God taught me through Masami-san in a call this evening. She taught me that God’s will does not always correlate with the “right thing to do.” Like Job’s friends, I too have tried to say what I believed was “right” (moral) to people, but looking back, I realize it was not God’s will and it ended up hurting the person rather than encouraging them.
Hiyori:
Whenever bad things are happening to us, we often feel like God does not care. That is not the case; he is trying to train us to help us to build our faith upon him. And so, he will always provide a way out for us.
Akari:
She felt that Job was being a bit self-righteous. She felt that he was becoming too focused upon justifying himself to his friends. If people don’t understand you, that’s fine, let them think that way.
Seiyu:
He learned that it is important to be honest with God, whether that be in problems or things you question in life. He also learned that it’s important to be honest to the people around you. By doing so, it allows God to help you more. Sometimes when he would have questions about life, he would ask his mother. But she hasn’t been able to give him the answers he’s looking for. Therefore, he has realized that it’s important to ask God first.
Kana:
She learned that it’s important to notice the specific situations/circumstances when Satan tries to attack you. When God disciplines us, he wants us to understand the reason for it. In Job’s case, it is his current period of having to wait upon God. There is a reason behind why God hasn’t answered Job yet.
Prayer:
On Saturday, Masami-san told us Rikuto’s situation and how he’s in an isolated medical setting where he is unable to communicate with anyone. She then told us what we—the youth—could still do for him: pray.
On that note, I prayed for his peace and joy (from what I’ve heard, it seems that his faith for his healing is already strong and complete, so I thought it would be better to pray for something else).
Scripture: Romans 15:13