January 5

In today’s reading from Job 6–9, I came across what I initially thought was a familiar passage:

“What is man, that you make so much of him, and that you set your heart on him, visit him every morning and test him every moment?” Job 7:17–18

However, after thinking it through I realized I had King David's Psalm in mind,

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained; What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him? Yet You have made him a little lower than God, And You crown him with glory and majesty! Psalm 8:3–5

We interpret this passage as a statement of praise, essentially thinking, “Wow! Isn’t it incredible that the Creator of the universe is aware of me?” However, when we read Job's words in context, we don’t experience the same awe and wonder. Instead, Job seems to be saying, “Why, oh God, are you on me like white on rice? What did I ever do to deserve this kind of attention?”

This difference in perspective highlights an important truth: our feelings can change based on context, but our words cannot change the meaning of who God is. God IS mindful of us, and God IS love.

We know that Job did nothing to deserve punishment; Scripture describes him as blameless and upright before God. We also know that his suffering was not the result of correction. However, at times in life, God does correct us because He loves us (Hebrews 12:6). Job’s situation reminds us that not every trial is about punishment or correction—sometimes it boils down to trust, endurance, and demonstrating faith even when we do not understand God’s plan.

My point this morning is this: no matter what we are experiencing—whether trial or blessing—we should strive to maintain the perspective that God is mindful of us, in both good and bad. He is the perfect Father who always acts according to His steadfast love toward His children.