“If I have put my trust in gold or said to pure gold, ‘You are my security,‘ – Job 31:24
This verse stings. Job is in the middle of his life crisis, where everything is taken away and he is left with a choice: be bitter or trust God. He once had everything. He now has nothing.
I know I would have been thinking, “OK, my life is a mess. When I had some money, it was better. It won’t solve everything, but it will bring some security.”
Job has been there. Done that. He knows that security can only come from God. What a deep lesson.
I didn’t sleep well last night. We are doing some type of fast next week and the reality of it all is starting to sink in. I’m not sure if I will do a total fast from food (liquids only) or some other type of fast. Either way, I know that it is going to be hard. I don’t like hard. I find some security in food. I don’t think I am an addict, but, come on, this stuff is pretty important. When I get hungry I get grumpy. When we take trips I often am worried about where we get food, just making sure everything will work out. It going to be hard.
Maybe it is a good thing. Maybe some securities need shaken. Maybe I have put my trust in some gold to buy some food. Maybe this is a matter of trust.
God, can you really be enough, even in the absence of food? My mind knows that you can. I think my entire being is about to find our that you are. I’m not looking forward to the journey, but I am looking forward to trusting you.
[tags]Job, fasting, trusting God, devotions, Bible, God, food[/tags]
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Cheryl
7 Nov 2006Scot I am able to agree and understand what you are saying here. When you stated this at church Sunday my first thought was what can I \”give up\”. My second thought was I don\’t think I can do it. I have decided to give up, for a week or close to it, listening to the radio. I spend much time listening to the radio when I should be reading the Word, praying, doing homework, or helping others. So, please, do me a favior… hold on tight this is going to be a hard wekk! P.S. Scot, do you realize what you are asking us to do here????
Lisa
7 Nov 2006Scot, as I sit here eating my Wendy\’s Frosty (small), I realize just how hard this is going to be, but also realize why I have to do this. You stated that there is some security in food and I agree; food has always been a comfort for me, happy, sad, bored, anxious. What I\’m finally realizing though is that I should find that comfort in my Saviour, not the food which is simply here for us to nourish our bodies, not mistreat them. Each time I eat for any reason other than nourishment, I\’m being disobedient to the Lord. I\’m now 40 something! years old, and being told by my physician that I must give up sugar and white flour, due to the onset of Type II diabetes. Does this stop me from eating sugar? It certainly wasn\’t a sugar-free Frosty I just ate! You made such an impact on me Sunday evening; I really want to have the relationship with my God that you spoke of. I do feel that I have to do some dying first, and the sugar thing is first, for obedience. So, wow, this is going to be rough, but I also feel somehow excited about it. I know that if it wasn\’t for my eXchange community this wouldn\’t be happening within me. Thanks…
Scott Aikin
8 Nov 2006If you didn\’t know it, I\’m a diabetic. I\’ve had it since I was 1 year and 2 months old. I am also very brittle, which means the slightest thing can set me off and cause me to go too high or too low and end up in a bad way. God has blessed me indeed through it all, but now and online is not the place to go over such things.
Fasting was always been this thing which is way out there to me. I\’ve always been intrigued by it, but rarely ever thought of practicing it because of my diabetes.
Long comment short, I\’ve been practicing it this year. I won\’t say when online, but I will tell you what happened yesterday night…
I was fasting all day, and had thought to try and do it all week this week since I\’ll be gone this next week and the week after due to quarter break for Rose. I told God I would hold my fast this week as long as I could, and no longer.
I was going strong all day. I had juice, I was feeling fine, but I also had a ton of meetings due to all my projects. My last project meeting went horribly. I started getting very sleepy and shaky (which happens when I\’m low). Chances are, along with one of the big blessings from God, that if I were a normal diabetic I\’d have been dead, or at least in a seizure.
I ended my fast last night at 10pm, before the day was even over.
I say this not as something to make you fearful of fasting, but as someone who tanks and entreats you to simply do your best for God. There are those of us who would oh-so love to fast, even without juice, for even one day. I started trying short ones after the service with the XX church guys. When they talked about the 40 day fast… my eyes lit up, man! We can\’t, though. Well, at least not unless God especially decides to be unusually present. Please, as part of the body, I want you encourage you and maybe help you to realize how blessed you are to get to even try to fast. And that as a body, while I may not be able to, you can help me live it in some little way.
I want to try and fast for 40 days on just juice by the end of the school year. I\’m confident God can help me do it. I\’m trying to practice now to hopefully help ease me into it. It\’s also good for entreating aid for whatever I\’m going to do after college…
Ease yourself into it — going cold-turkey into just a day-long fast from eating regular the day before is rough.
I\’m praying for you.
God bless,
~Scott
Scot
8 Nov 2006Good comments guys. I don\’t think I have food issues until I start thinking about giving up food! I wouldn\’t encourage people to go for a weeks fast from food if they have not fasted before. Sounds risky. But, let\’s look at other ways that we can fast, what other things can give up that will allow us to communicate more with God (which is the purpose of the fast). I sent an email with some thoughts on this and we will talk about it on Sunday night as well. Not everyone can or should fast from food. I\’m still wrestling with what I will do because I have not fasted for more than 24 hours (and that was one time in my life). Blessings!
Scot