Holston Daily Devotional February 11, 2021

Focus Scripture

Job 6:11-14 / Mark 3:7-8

Job 6:11, 13a - “What strength do I have, that I should still hope? What prospects, that I should be patient?....Do I have any power to help myself...?”

Mark 3:7-8a, 10 - “Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed. When they heard about all he was doing, many people came to him.....For he had healed many, so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch him.”

Devotion

As with the Psalmists, Job gives voice to the experiences and feelings of many people in life. Sometimes there are circumstances that come our way that can cause us to be exasperated, not knowing where to turn. Job teaches us much in having the courage to express to God what is going on inside him. He holds nothing back, including the questions in this passage. We all have times of coming to the end of our own strength. If you have not yet done so and you live long enough, you will. And if we trust in our own strength, our own power, to help ourselves, we will inevitably lose hope.

The crowd of people in the passage from Mark teaches us this point. They remind us of where our strength and hope come from. They went to Jesus. They had heard that he was the source of healing and hope. They sought him out. They wanted to touch him.

I am reminded of the first two verses of Psalm 121, the opening of which could be said from anywhere in Holston Conference: “I raise my eyes toward the mountains. Where will my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.” (CEB)

When you are going through any struggle, no matter how deep or hard it is, express what you are experiencing to trusted friends and to God. Most importantly, be reminded this day that it is God who is the source of the strength you will need to deal with anything and the hope that will see you through it.