If you have ever gone through a time of intense suffering you understand Job’s heart more than most. This has probably been you. Job was sick and tired of defending himself to other people. Chapters 23 & 24 are a response to Eliphaz in Job 22. Job begins his response in chapter 23 and finishes it in 24.
In this response Job expresses his frustration about God and what he could not understand. He can not make sense of anything going on around him. He can’t wrap his head around why God is allowing him to go through such pain and turmoil. Chapter 24 is an expression of Job’s pain and frustration about this. In verses 2-17 Job expresses frustration over the unpunished wicked and their oppression of the poor (v.2-12). Job just could not understand how God could allow this to him but not to them.
Yet in the end of the chapter (v.18-15) Job, through his frustration and lack of understanding, remembers and proclaims that God is still sovereign. He reminds himself of the truth of God that He will bring judgement upon them. He reminds himself that even when he cannot understand that God is a God that he can trust.
This is much how David writes in the Psalms. In Psalm 22 David writes “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” This is how David FELT. This is not what was TRUE. Even though he felt like this, David, in the midst of his feelings lying to him, proclaimed truth in verse 3 “Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel” and again in verse 10 saying, “On you I was cast from my birth, and from my mother’s womb you have been my God.” David was struggling to believe this but lived in this truth anyways just like Job was struggling to believe that God was good but proclaimed that God was sovereign and could be trusted.
In times of turmoil and suffering our emotions will lie to us. Job experienced this. David experienced this. We will experience this. We must RUN to the TRUTH of God and allow our good God to “make us lie down in green pastures.” (Psalm 23:2). We must strive to live in truth and its reality on a daily basis no matter what we feel. Our feelings are important but as we find out, just like Job and David, they don’t define truth.
- How are your feelings lying to you about God this week?
- How can you live in the truth of God in that area this week?
By: Nick Parsons — Pastoral Ministry Associate: College
JumpstartCPC.com 
Great word…our emotions lie to us. This can be difficult to discern when in the midst of something of this magnitude like Job. This underscores the importance of developing our own habit to run to The Source of truth before we encounter these situations . This way when these situations do arise it’s already what we do. It doesn’t mean it will be easy, but we’ll know that is what our response needs to be. Fighting or going against our emotions often requires extra help. Thanks for your words today!
Good words today Nick!
I really liked the example you gave. “In Psalm 22 David writes “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” This is how David FELT. This is not what was TRUE. Even though he felt like this, David, in the midst of his feelings lying to him, proclaimed truth…”.
Feelings / emotions are great, but they cannot be trusted to necessarily be true. It is important to always compare them against the gold standard of God’s Word.