This week we will be starting the book of Job! I do want to refer you to this excellent article by the folks at the Bible Project about the book.
A Quick Word from Micah
Micah 7:8-9
Do not gloat over me, my enemy!
Though I have fallen, I will rise.
Though I sit in darkness,
the LORD will be my light.
Because I have sinned against him,
I will bear the LORD's wrath,
until he pleads my case and upholds my cause.
He will bring me out into the light;
I will see his righteousness.
I have always liked these verses because they exemplify what Pastor John Piper calls, "gutsy guilt". What is gutsy guilt? It is a uniquely Christian response to real failure. I remember the first time I heard Pastor Piper use this term. He used it, and this verse, in a sermon where he offered a good word for Christians who were experiencing the feelings of guilt that come from sexual sin. I remember being so powerfully helped by this verse, it marked a real breakthrough in my own journey of faith.
We all fail in various ways, professionally, morally, relationally, religiously. Our failures come with the real consequences that we simply have to live with, like a limp from a past injury. Passages like this one give us hope and courage in the face of such consequences. Did we fail? Yes. Are the consequences real and ongoing? Yes. But is that the end of the story? No. Is God's grace still for us? Yes! Does God still love us? Yes!
I hope reading this verse this week will be a help to someone!