Job 1:21 - "Hills and Valleys"

Father, you give and take away
Every retry and every pain
And with all you will remain
All for it all!

These words were going through my mind when I woke up this morning. No matter what circumstance we are going through the Lord is always with us. He is there on the mountaintop and He is there in the valley. Sometimes we learn the greatest lesson when we go through a time of being in a valley. There are times that are so hard yet they can be the most rewarding in the end. One must seek the Lord no matter what is going on. When times seem to be unbearable, He is there. When it seems like the 'bad' situation will never end, we must stay close to Him. He is the answer. He does not steal our joy but uses circumstances to give us more joy. Satan is the one to steal our joy. He loves when one starts fretting and worrying because it gives him an open door. When going through trials of life, one must stay close to God. He will be exactly what we need. Sometimes He puts trials before us to stretch our faith. Sometimes He needs us to depend upon Him instead of ourselves so He puts an opportunity in our life to make that happen. The thing to remember is that He is right there with us no matter what. We also need to remember to praise Him as He gives and takes away. Job went through so much but in chapter 1, verse twenty-one He praised God.

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for this reminder this morning. Thank You for the blessings of yesterday and the ones ahead in this day. I pray for a cleansing in my spirit. I pray for more of You so people will hear/see You instead of me. Lord, be with Doc today and give him what he needs throughout this day. I pray for a breakthrough to be in Your will with the building process. Lord, we need some encouragement with it. May today be the day that comes. I pray a blessing over my studies today. I pray against the distraction of this sore throat. Lord, be greater than these things. Thank You for being My Joy Maker. Amen.