Perspective on adverse conditions

Job 31:35. NIV

"Oh, that I had someone to hear me! I sign now my defense—let the Almighty answer me; let my accuser put his indictment in writing.

Our enemy, the accuser, tries to convince us that our Father is the bad guy, that He is the accuser.  The accuser wants us to blame our Father for our adverse conditions, and the accuser wants us to think that our Father is indifferent to our pain and cries for help.

Job's first three "friends" thought Job was guilty, and Elihu argues that since God controls the weather and we can't, God would not listen to humans.  In one sense, we have no leverage against God to make Him listen to us and answer us, but we learn from David that our Father is compassionate towards us:

Psalms 8:3‭-‬4 NIV

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?

Our Father created us to abide with us and love us; we are objects of his affection. So we should show compassion, mercy, and grace to all humans, especially those who are experiencing adversity.

Father, you are kind, loving, merciful, and full of grace toward us.  Father, you sent Jesus because you love the whole world.  You cause it to rain on the just, as well as the unjust.  Jesus, you showed the Father's affection through beholding and healing people who were hurt.  Holy Spirit, please help me defend the Father's reputation against the accusations of the enemy.  I love you.

Yearning

Job 19:25‭-‬27 NIV

I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!

There are so many things in this world for which people yearn.  But none of them will fulfill; nothing will ultimately satisfy except meeting God face to face.

I spend too much of my time thinking about work.

I'm reminded of the lyrics from Shane & Shane's song, Yearn:

Lord I want to yearn for You

I want to burn with passion

Over You and only You

Father, you are the only one worth yearning for.  I want to have a singular devotion to you that is motivated by a desire to know you and love you, in response to your great love.  Holy Spirit, please teach me.  I love you.

Yahweh is the reference for time

I'm reading the Bible in chronological order this year.

I've been contemplating the six days of creation.  I previously subscribed to the "young earth" perspective (i.e., that the earth was formed in six literal 24-hr days), but a number of years ago, I relaxed that position because the Hebrew word for "day" in Genesis 1 could also mean "age".  I think it is much more important to focus on the fact that Yahweh is the creator than exactly how much time it took based on Gen 1.

It occured to me over the past couple of days that the tricky point about 24-hr day versus "age" is that Yahweh created light on the first day, and He documented evening and morning in that first day.  But He did not create the sun until the fourth day.

So, what was the source of light on days 1 through 3? How could there be evening and morning on the first three days without the rising and setting of the sun?

After a week and a half of pondering, I eventually concluded that Yahweh is the reference for time.  He determines what a day is.

Father, you are the keeper of time.  You are eternal.  From my perspective within time, you are infinite in both directions of time; but actually, you are outside of time.  Timeless.  Teach me to number my days.  Jesus only had three years of ministry.  May my life be lived to the fullest.  I love you.