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Day 144, or May 24. The next move is yours. Our thoughts today are rooted in Job chapter

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22 verse 23. If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored, if you remove wickedness

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far from your tent.

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First the big picture surrounding this verse. They keep coming, and Job keeps protesting

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his innocence. His friend Eliphaz returns for a third time to try, as he sees it, to

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sort Job out. He has some wonderful things to say, including a reassuring thought that

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if you pray to God, He will hear you. This was a particularly pertinent comment at this

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time in Job's life, because he was sure that no one was listening. Job's response

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was significant too. He says that he knows he will survive as a better, purer, and more

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wholesome person. After his torment and struggle, he will be as pure gold. This was an outstanding

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statement in the days when gold was the mark of stability, perfection, and wealth. Job

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was convinced that he would be a shining example in the midst of impurity and squalor.

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And now our action step for today. It is often in the darkest periods of our lives that we

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are given assurances from the least expected source. Eliphaz, who has annoyed Job on previous

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occasions, comes to him now and tells him that if he returns to God, then he will be

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restored. Coming to God for the first time is usually an invigorating experience of coming

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out of darkness into a marvelous light. However, when we have done it before, at the back of

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our minds, we wonder if God will believe us this time. This is a perfect scenario for

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the devil. And if we return to the Lord more than twice in our lives, then this self-doubt

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can become even more insidious. Be sure today that when we return to him, we will be restored.

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But the order is important. We have to return to him in repentance and faith before the

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restoration can take place. But we have God's written guarantee that it will. There's no

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time like the present to take this vital step forward. So what are you waiting for?