Be a Job, Not an Eliphaz

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Then he fell to the ground in worship. Job 1:20b NIV

Would you pay $906,000 for a $1.50 life jacket? That’s what an unidentified bidder paid for a life jacket worn by Laura Mabel Francatelli, a first-class passenger who survived the RMS Titanic’s 1912 sinking.

The RMS Titanic was a British luxury passenger ship that set sail from Southampton on April 10, 1912, on its maiden voyage to New York City. The ship was the largest ever afloat and was billed as unsinkable. Yet on April 14, the ship hit an iceberg and sank in the early hours of April 15, carrying an estimated 1,500 passengers and crew to their deaths.

Francatelli and 11 others survived in the ship’s lifeboat No. 1, which was launched despite having a capacity of 40. Its failure to pick up survivors from the frigid water became a source of controversy. (CBS News on Google, April 18, 2026).

“I promise I will never let go, Jack. I’ll never let go.” These are the words from one of the most unforgettable scenes in the 1997 Oscar-winning movie Titanic. I am sure those who know the movie better than I do would list other incredible moments, but I think this scene captures the power of love and commitment as Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Rose (Kate Winslet) hold onto each other, trying to stay afloat in the icy waters as the massive ship breaks in half.

The historical romance film features two characters from vastly different social and financial backgrounds who find love! This emotional scene shows Jack clinging to the drifting door panel while Rose lies on top of it. Jack encourages Rose, telling her, “You’re going to get out of here. You’re going to go on, and you’re going to make lots of babies, and you’re going to watch them grow. You’re going to die an old, an old lady, warm in her bed. Not here, not tonight, not like this. Do you understand me?” It’s a powerful exchange between two people in a hopeless situation. The scene ends with Rose being rescued and going on to live the life she was promised, though Jack did not survive.

We all enjoy stories of heroes and heroines who battle the odds to save others, to bring light to a dark situation, or simply to encourage others. Most of us would admit that the world seems a bit short on swashbuckling heroes. Yet we might be surprised that it does not take a massive Superman moment to change someone’s situation.

“Faith don’t come in a bushel basket, missy. It comes one step at a time. Decide to trust Him for one little thing today, and before you know it, you find out He’s so trustworthy you be putting your whole life in His hands.” (from Candle in the Darkness, Lynn Austin).

You find Job clinging to a sinking door, in need of rescue. His children have been killed in a horrible storm; his vast wealth is gone, his livestock destroyed or stolen, and he now has a host of physical ailments. So what does he do? “At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship.” (Job 1:20).

Job did not know he was a character in a cosmic drama of good and evil being played out, nor did he realize he was part of the storyline. Then along came his three good friends who knew him well. For them, the storyline went something like this: bad things don’t happen to good people, so you need to repent. Job was not buying that narration.

Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar had the opportunity to be Job’s encouragers, but in chapter after chapter they became his adversaries. Eliphaz gets the first chance: “Blessed is the one whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.” (Job 5:17). Then Bildad challenges Job, “How long will you say such things?…Surely God does not reject one who is blameless or strengthen the hands of evildoers.” (8:1a, 20).

Dismayed and broken, Job waits as Zophar speaks; surely he understands. “If you put away the sin that is in your hand and allow no evil to dwell in your tent, then, free of fault, you will lift up your face; you will stand firm and without fear. You will surely forget your trouble, recalling it only as waters gone by” (11:14-15).

Job could have related to those drowning in icy waters as an empty lifeboat sailed by them. Friends who had come to comfort became his tormentors. Yet he had one thing that would not sink: His faith in God. “Oh, that my words were recorded, that they were written on a scroll, that they were inscribed with an iron tool on lead, or engraved in rock forever! I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!” (19:23-27).

The story ends with a major rebuke from God to everyone. Job’s friends had misinterpreted the whole story, placing the blame on Job, and they receive a major reprimand from God. Elihu is completely dismissed. Job, who had blamed God and wanted a face-to-face meeting, comes to realize how foolish he was.

Job never fully knew the plot behind the story, but he did come to realize that God had never left him. “Though he seemed silent or even absent, God was no mere spectator of Job’s suffering. He had been with Job through the entire experience.” (NIV Quest Study Bible)

You may not know someone’s full story, but take time to be a Job, not an Eliphaz, in their life. “You are a house of prayer. A living gateway between heaven and earth. Go forth. Carry His presence into every space. Let His light shine through you. The world is waiting. Heaven is ready. And God is with you.” (Eric Celerier).

God is great!

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Trusting God Even in the Storm

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LORD, do not forsake me; do not be far from me, my God. Come quickly to help me, my Lord and my Savior. Psalm 38:21-22 NIV

Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale   a tale of a fateful trip,   that started from this tropic port,   aboard this tiny ship.   The mate was a mighty sailin’ man,   the Skipper brave and sure,   five passengers set sail that day,   for a three hour tour,   a three hour tour…  (Gilligan’s Theme Song Lyrics. Lyric Advisor. https://youtu.be/ZdClvI7eBD0?si=t_ieRvuIUp3AwWYe

It may not rank among the most famous shipwrecks, but who could ever forget the SS Minnow, or at least its theme song! You do have to be a certain age to remember Gilligan’s Island, or at least to love classic comedy on select streaming networks. The shipwreck became a hilarious adventure for the seven survivors.

Real-life shipwrecks are anything but hilarious. The crashing, powerful, and unrelenting waves against the hulls of gigantic ocean ships have ravaged many vessels throughout seafarers’ history. Many dreams of adventure and wealth were dashed as they sank to their watery death, unable to withstand the crushing force of the waves.

It is impossible to verify, but estimates suggest there have been over 3 million shipwrecks worldwide throughout history (UNESCO). The unsinkable Titanic did not survive her maiden voyage; the Flor de la Mar was carried to the bottom of the ocean, taking the Sultan of Malacca’s riches with it. The SS Edmund Fitzgerald, immortalized by Gordon Lightfoot’s ballad, could not withstand the hurricane-force winds and high waves and sank in the Great Lakes.

Sea captains set sail knowing they may encounter storms and even catastrophe. Yet they sail! That’s the way we live. We know storms are out there, but we keep moving forward. We do not welcome the storms that come, but what if we considered that God can use our storms to bring us to the place where He intended us to arrive?

Luke records the events of a destructive shipwreck in Acts 27 and 28. Paul and a group of other prisoners were put on a ship heading to Rome. However, the ship battled strong winds and could only make it partway. Undeterred, the Centurion found another ship heading to Rome, and again it didn’t take long for problems to overtake them. A relentless storm struck, and Luke records, “The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along” (Acts 27:15).

Paul was aboard a ship bound for Rome, but God used him during the storm to bring encouragement and hope to people facing disaster. “So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island.” (Acts 27:23-24). Paul knew God, but he did not know the final plan.

The late Atlanta pastor Charles Stanley once wrote, “We can make plans, and we are wise to do so, but our plans must always be the result of prayer and made with total flexibility so that if this is not what God desires for us to do, we will be quick to alter our course.”

Paul and the others came through the storm, though the ship was destroyed. They all lived. The unknown island was Malta. Paul did what he always did, living out his faith by preaching the Gospel and healing the sick. God used a storm to blow Paul (and the others) to a place where he was needed.

Malta became one of the first Roman colonies to convert to Christianity, leaving a legacy of faith among the people that lives on. 2000 years later, one of the island’s major public holidays is “The Feast of St. Paul’s Shipwreck” on February 10.

Grammy Award-winning songwriter/singer, Bible teacher, and worship leader Laura Story, in her book “When God Doesn’t Fix It,” shares how God used an unwanted storm in her life to bring her to where He intended her to be. Laura and her new husband, Martin, had dreams, made plans, and envisioned a future for their life together. That was until a storm hit, sending them reeling. Martin was diagnosed with a brain tumor that would alter all their dreams and plans but would evidently redefine their desires.

“We have to come to a point where we say, ‘I don’t know why my life looks this way. But I don’t have to understand why. It’s enough for me to believe that God has a plan and that he has promised he will never leave or forsake me, and he will be by my side through every trial I face.” I know this counters everything we think we want, but there is freedom in not having all of the answers—especially the answer to why.”

Sometimes God answers our prayers the way we thought He should, but more often He answers them in the way that will help us most. Martin survived the surgeries but was left with disabilities that altered life as they knew it. Yet through it all, they learned what it was like to trust God.

“I pray every day that God would completely heal my husband. If you could overhear my prayers, they’d sound something like this: Good morning, God. Is today the day you’re going to heal Martin? Because if you heal him, I promise to give you all the glory. Every time I pray that prayer, I feel as if God responds in the same way in my heart: I know, Laura. I know you will. But what if the healing is a process?  What if it’s going to be a long road that requires more sleepless nights than you’ve ever imagined? Or what if it requires more faith than you ever thought you had?  Will you still give me all the glory?”

Will you let God take your storm and let it blow you to where He intends for you to arrive? “Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops? What if your healing comes through tears?” (from Laura Story song, Blessings)

God is great!

Looking to God not the Thorn

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I trust in you; do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me. No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame, but shame will come on those who are treacherous without cause. Psalm 25:2-3 NIV

What comes to mind when you are at the top of the highest mountain on earth? I have no idea, and I am never going to find out, but 63-year-old American Eva Steinwald did last year. She climbed the 29,031 ft, 8 ½ in. Mount Everest, a sub-range of the Himalayas. It was not her goal to become the oldest American woman to summit Mount Everest, but she was, at least for a few days, until another American woman took the title at 66.

Why climb?  Her motivation to climb was part of her healing journey after her husband of 26 years died unexpectedly. Steinwald’s first climb was Mount Borah, the highest summit in Idaho.  “It was like a fire in my belly, because I felt alive and I knew that’s what I wanted, and it was a way to honor my husband.” (KTVB7 Idaho interview)

Steinwald said the push to the Mount Everest summit was challenging, but she was determined. “We saw dead bodies along the way, so you realize how serious this mountain is. It can be deadly.”

“Take time to mourn, but then step forward, because the only time we have is right now. We don’t have what we had yesterday; we don’t know what we will have tomorrow. We all have our Everests; whatever your Everest is- if it’s getting your college degree or going back to school, or running a 5k. Whatever it is, believe in your dream. Don’t listen to naysayers; believe in your heart. Baby steps, little goals, and you can get there. I give myself grace; you need to give yourself grace, too.” She said she wants to inspire others to conquer their own Mount Everest.

Steinwald’s mantra on her mountain climbs, as well as life, is “One breath. One step. Just don’t stop.” Her goal, by the time she reaches 70, is to have climbed all seven summits, which are the highest mountain for each of the seven continents.

What is your Mount Everest moment in life? How do you get over your mountain of loss, disappointment, or tragedy? Does it feel as if God has forgotten you?

Ms. Steinwald had guides to help her navigate the treacherous paths to the summit. Who better to guide us on our own epic journeys than Paul? He was an apostle, missionary, writer, teacher, and committed follower of Jesus who understood what it felt like to climb mountains.

Paul had an impressive record of the hardships he endured. “I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked. I spent a night and a day in the open sea…I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.” (2 Cor. 11:23b-25,27).

We may not particularly enjoy some of the difficult seasons, but through God’s grace we find a way. However, Paul’s greatest help for us comes in those areas where we are totally lost and in confusion. The clouds have rolled in, and we cannot see ahead. Those are the areas where God seems absent or where we cannot hear. Paul offers us help from his own story when, three times, he asked God to remove a mysterious “thorn in his flesh.”

“Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”  (2 Cor 12:7b-9.)

Whether three times or fifty times, we come to realize that God does not always answer our prayers the way we asked. The “thorn” continues to fester within us. However, what we do learn is that we can trust God to help us live and even thrive with the thorn. Paul came to accept the no as what was best for him. “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Cor 12:10). Can I always accept the no as what is best for me?

What we think of God when things are in chaos, whether physical or spiritual, reveals much about what we truly know of God’s character. It is in the darkest periods of our lives that we reveal our true understanding of God. What we can know is that God welcomes our repeated prayers yet gently reminds us that his “grace is sufficient.”

“His purpose in the cloud is to simplify our belief until our relationship to Him is exactly that of a child—God and my own soul; other people are shadows…Is the relationship between myself and God getting simpler than ever it has been? There is a connection between the strange providences of God and what we know of Him, and we have to learn to interpret the mysteries of life in the light of our knowledge of God. Unless we can look the darkest, blackest fact full in the face without damaging God’s character, we do not yet know Him.” (Oswald Chambers)

Lord, thank you that you invite me to cast my burdens on you. I give you the things that are weighing on my mind today. I ask you to take them from my hands, but if not, let me live totally in your grace, which is sufficient for today.

God is great!

Prayer Safari: A weekly devotion to offer encouragement, hope, and purpose found in Jesus

When Plans Don’t Work Out

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In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps. Pr. 16:9

The plan was simple: climb into a plastic bottle and crowd surf. The problem: the big plastic bottle did not go in the direction it should have gone.  Former American Idol judge and pop superstar Katy Perry decided that climbing into a giant, inflatable plastic bottle and crowd surfing at the recent Isle of MTV Malta performance would be a great way to connect with her fans. All went well until the fans pushed the bottle away from the stage and deeper into the audience. Perry, speaking about the incident, said, “I basically get in this giant inflatable water bottle, and I roll it into the crowd, and tonight I went kind of far, and I was a little bit worried I was not gonna come back.”  (USA Today)

What happens when your well-thought-out plans do not work out? It all depends upon the magnitude of your unfulfilled plans. If you get to the movie theatre and find out that the movie you wanted to see is no longer showing, you probably rank that as a slight irritation. However, you end up seeing another movie that was actually better and much more uplifting.

You made plans all year for a week at the beach. You packed the suntan lotion, inflatables, snacks, and beach stuff. You drove 10 hours, fighting traffic all the way, listening to the kids ask, “Are we almost there?” But you finally made it to your condo. However, you neglected to check the weather and found out that a hurricane was off the coast. You woke up every morning of the week to gale-force winds and tropical rain. Now your well-thought-out plans turned to disappointment. What next? You could pack the car in the pouring rain and drive home. You could decide to stay, but every day you get a little angrier, or you could praise the Lord for the rains and get out the Monopoly Board!

Panic is often the emotional response when you have no idea what will happen next. Katy Perry felt that panic when a well-thought-out plan did not go as planned. Chances are you have never crowd-surfed in an inflatable plastic bottle, but you may have felt that panic in countless different ways.

You had high hopes for a promotion you should have received, but someone else got it. You had been working at your dream job for only a few months when you were told the company was downsizing and that your position would be eliminated. We all have our well-thought-out plans that end up going off track. We may not fully understand, but we do have a God who cares deeply and will see us through our panic. “Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.” Psalm 147:5

What do you do when your well-thought-out plans do not work? You lean into God’s goodness and love for you. God reminded Joshua in preparation for him to assume leadership from Moses, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Deut. 31:6).

 A boat that is not properly fastened to the dock will end up drifting endlessly out into the ocean. Our lives need that secure anchor of God to keep us safe. One of my favorite “coffee mug verses” is Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” It is a great reassuring verse, and I believe it fully. However, many people forget that it sits in the middle of a letter addressed to refugees. The people had been defeated, their homes destroyed, their future unsettled, and their government crushed. They were living in captivity; their well-thought-out plans were ruined, and hope was in short supply. If they looked to themselves, nothing good would come.

We tend to want a nice, clear path ahead. We want to arrive at the destination, but God is more concerned with our trusting Him through the journey. You can sit in the middle of chaos when you know God’s promise: He will be with you, He cares for you, and He has everything under control. “Because God has said, Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you. So we say with confidence, The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” (Hebrews 13:5b-6).

“What we call the process God calls the end. What is my dream of God’s process? His purpose is that I depend on Him and on His power now. If I can stay in the middle of the turmoil calm and unperplexed, that is the end of the purpose of God. God is not working towards a particular finish; His end is the process— that I see Him walking on the waves, no shore in sight, no success, no goal, just the absolute certainty that it is all right because I see Him walking on the sea. It is the process, not the end, which is glorifying to God…God’s end is to enable me to see that He can walk on the chaos of my life just now.” (Oswald Chambers).

We can handle the situations where our “plastic bottle” goes adrift because God is bigger and more able than any situation that comes up. We can get to the point where we see God walking with us in the chaos, as well as in the nice, calm waters. “The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8 NIV

Jesus, I lay my fears before you, choosing to trust you. You have turned the tide and reminded me that no problem can overwhelm me because you are with me. Your Word is true—never failing. You bathe me in your life-giving light and show me the way to walk. The journey with you is filled with promise. You have proven your great love, and I will be forever grateful.

God is great!

A weekly devotion to offer encouragement, hope, and purpose found in Jesus.