Uphold the Stumbling

Behold, you have instructed many, and you have strengthened the weak hands. Your words have upheld him who was stumbling, and you have made firm the feeble knees.
Job 4:3-4
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Uphold the Stumbling
In today’s reading Job’s friend Eliphaz reminds Job of all which he has done to help others, his instruction and strength for those who stumbled. Job is at his low point and is having difficulty seeing past his current situation.  Eliphaz tries to help his friend remember all the advice he had given others and to follow it.  We often find ourselves in this same situation, willing to give advice yet not willing to take that same counsel ourselves.  Sin has convinced us we humans know it all and can solve all our problems.  Sin tells us to trust in what the world says, what our friends say, what we say.  We are the arbiter of our own truth. And this is the problem. When advice and guidance come, we are adept at following the wrong path. We chose to follow the guidance of the devil, the world, and our own sinful flesh.  But God has not left us to ourselves, to figure it out on our own.  He has lovingly instructed us in His way and strengthened us with His hands.  When we stumble, He is there to gather us up.  He tells us to trust in Him with all our heart, and do not lean on our own understanding (Provebres3:5).  More importantly He lets us know that our salvation is out of our hands, He has taken care of it. By sending His Son to take on our sin and die for them, and give us His righteousness, we are freed.  Therefore, when difficulties and tragedies come, though we may not understand why, we know God is there with us. With His Word He upholds us, so that our faith does not stumble. He is there to show us the way, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” (John 14:6-7)