Silas
Beloved of All
Your heart for miracles and for work that cares for animals is heard, and your desire to pray again even quietly in your mind is precious to God. I have prayed for you that God would open the right doors for work, including the opportunity you mentioned in television commercials, and for wisdom and provision if He leads you to build a business that shows kindness to His creatures, and above all that your inner prayer life would be renewed and strengthened through the blood of Jesus.
The story of Job speaks to desires and disappointments like these. That book stands at the beginning of the poetry section of Scripture, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon. It is considered one of the oldest books in the Bible, though the history it records goes back even further, likely to the time of Abraham. Cultures have changed since then, but the deepest questions and needs of the human heart have not changed, and Job gives voice to them in a powerful way.
What is striking at the start of Job is what happens out of sight. God Himself points to Job as a man who was blameless and upright, who loved God and turned away from evil. At the same time, the adversary had been watching Job closely, studying him and forming a theory about him. His argument was that Job only served God because God had put a hedge of protection and blessing around him and made him prosper. With the Lord's permission, that hedge was tested and Job lost much. Job did not understand what was happening. He grieved deeply and spoke from that grief, and some of his words in his sorrow are recorded as his honest cries, not as settled doctrine about God or about life after death. His friends came to comfort him but only added to his pain with accusations and unhelpful advice, telling him he must have done something wrong or that he should simply try to fix things with God.
Two truths from Job bring comfort here. First, God is at work even when it feels as though He has withdrawn. Job felt forsaken, yet God had not abandoned him, and what happened to Job later becomes a comfort to others who walk through their own valleys when they see that God was present and purposeful all along. Second, prayer is not mainly a way to make our own plans happen. The wisest prayer is Father, Your will be done. God knows far better than we do what is good, and His will is the best place for our lives to rest.
That is how I am praying for you. God sees you and knows your needs for work and provision, and He hears prayer even when it is silent in your mind. Jesus has opened the way through His blood so you can come boldly to the Father at any moment, without special words or a loud voice. I ask that He would give you clear guidance for the job you seek, that He would provide for you and direct any business He wants you to pursue, that He would use your love for animals for good, and that He would restore confidence in prayer so you know you are heard. May He show you His faithful care, strengthen your trust in His goodness, and fulfill His perfect will in your life as you keep turning to Jesus.
The story of Job speaks to desires and disappointments like these. That book stands at the beginning of the poetry section of Scripture, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon. It is considered one of the oldest books in the Bible, though the history it records goes back even further, likely to the time of Abraham. Cultures have changed since then, but the deepest questions and needs of the human heart have not changed, and Job gives voice to them in a powerful way.
What is striking at the start of Job is what happens out of sight. God Himself points to Job as a man who was blameless and upright, who loved God and turned away from evil. At the same time, the adversary had been watching Job closely, studying him and forming a theory about him. His argument was that Job only served God because God had put a hedge of protection and blessing around him and made him prosper. With the Lord's permission, that hedge was tested and Job lost much. Job did not understand what was happening. He grieved deeply and spoke from that grief, and some of his words in his sorrow are recorded as his honest cries, not as settled doctrine about God or about life after death. His friends came to comfort him but only added to his pain with accusations and unhelpful advice, telling him he must have done something wrong or that he should simply try to fix things with God.
Two truths from Job bring comfort here. First, God is at work even when it feels as though He has withdrawn. Job felt forsaken, yet God had not abandoned him, and what happened to Job later becomes a comfort to others who walk through their own valleys when they see that God was present and purposeful all along. Second, prayer is not mainly a way to make our own plans happen. The wisest prayer is Father, Your will be done. God knows far better than we do what is good, and His will is the best place for our lives to rest.
That is how I am praying for you. God sees you and knows your needs for work and provision, and He hears prayer even when it is silent in your mind. Jesus has opened the way through His blood so you can come boldly to the Father at any moment, without special words or a loud voice. I ask that He would give you clear guidance for the job you seek, that He would provide for you and direct any business He wants you to pursue, that He would use your love for animals for good, and that He would restore confidence in prayer so you know you are heard. May He show you His faithful care, strengthen your trust in His goodness, and fulfill His perfect will in your life as you keep turning to Jesus.
