I Ask Only Two Things
Job 13: 20-28
I ask only two things of you, my God, and I will no longer hide from you–stop punishing and terrifying me!
Then speak, and I will reply; or else let me speak, and you reply. Please point out my sins, so I will know them.
Why have you turned your back and count me your enemy?
Do you really enjoy frightening a fallen leaf?
Why do you accuse me of horrible crimes and make me pay for sins I did in my youth?
You have tied my feet down and keep me surrounded; I am rotting away like cloth eaten by worms.
Life Is Short And Sorrowful
Job 14: 1-22
Life is short and sorrowful for every living soul. We are flowers that fade and shadows that vanish.
And so, I ask you, God, why pick on me?
There’s no way a human can be completely pure. Our time on earth is brief; the number of our days is already decided by you.
Why don’t you leave us alone and let us find some happiness while we toil and labor?
When A Tree Is Chopped Down
When a tree is chopped down, there is always the hope that it will sprout again. Its roots and stump may rot, but at the touch of water, fresh twigs shoot up.
Humans are different– we die, and that’s the end. We are like streams and lakes after the water has gone; we fall into the sleep of death, never to rise again, until the sky disappears.
Please hide me, God, deep in the ground– and when you are angry no more, remember to rescue me.
Will We Humans Live Again?
Will we humans live again? I would gladly suffer and wait for my time.
My Creator, you would want me; you would call out, and I would answer. You would take care of me, but not count my sins–you would put them in a bag, tie it tight, and toss them away.
But in the real world, mountains tumble, and rocks crumble; streams wear away stones and wash away soil. And you destroy our hopes! You change the way we look, then send us away, wiped out forever.
We never live to know if our children are praised or disgraced.
We feel no pain but our own, and when we mourn, it’s only for ourselves.
Read The Bible In
One Year: Eph. 6
Plus Daily Chapter: James 40
