You have strengthened

Surely you have instructed many, And you have strengthened weak hands. Your words have upheld him who was stumbling, And you have strengthened the feeble knees; But now it comes upon you, and you are weary; It touches you, and you are troubled. - Job 4v3-5

There is a pretty common saying that I use quite often. I mostly use it when I am dealing with something that I have been preaching or teaching about when the issue becomes personal. It goes like this – ‘It preaches easier than it lives.’

It is good to know that I am not the first one to experience this. Job’s supposed friend Eliphaz that Job had taught people, strengthened them, picked up the stumbler, and helped people along their way.

What a great thing to learn about Job, by the way. He was a great help and a blessing and an encouragement to people around him. He was a Barnabas type character. When people had problems they knew that could come to him. He was always there during the tough times that others went through.

But now Job was going through his own tough times. He seemed to forget how he had helped others. This is one thing that makes me think that despite everything Job’s friends said, they may have had the right motivation. In essence Eliphaz was just telling Job to remember what he had told others and apply them to himself.

Actually, this is a pretty good reminder for all of us who try to help others. If we give godly advice to others, it might be a good idea to remind ourselves of those truths when we are in trouble.