Read Job 29
How I long for the months gone by, for the days when God
watched over me.
Job 29:2
Job had opened his defense by saying that he wished he had never
been born (Job 3). Here he closed his defense by remembering the
blessings he and his family had enjoyed prior to his crisis. This is a
good reminder that we should try to see life in a balanced way. “Shall
we accept good from God, and not trouble?” (2:10). Charles Haddon
Spurgeon said that too many people write their blessings in the sand
but engrave their sorrows in marble.
When we are experiencing trials, it is natural for us to long for
“the good old days”; but our longing will not change our situation.
There is a ministry in memory if we use it properly. In days of
disappointment, it is good to “remember the deeds of the LORD …
remember [His] miracles of long ago” (Ps. 77:11). But the past must
be a rudder to guide us and not an anchor to hold us back. If we try to
duplicate today what we experienced yesterday, we may find ourselves
in a rut that robs us of maturity.
Something to Ponder
Have you ever wished you had never been born? If so, what caused
those feelings?