From a narrow place, to a Broad one

A Devotional on Job 36:16–23 Scripture (Job 36:16–21, a fresh rendering close to the Hebrew)“He is wooing you from the jaws of distress
to a wide-open place with no constraint beneath it,
where your table would have been filled with rich food.
But you are obsessed with the case of the wicked—
judgment and justice grip you like a vice.
Beware lest wrath entice you into scoffing,
and do not let a large ransom lead you astray.
Will your wealth or all your mighty efforts
avail when He brings you low?
Do not long for the night
when peoples vanish from their place.
Take heed—do not turn to evil,
for you have chosen this path rather than affliction.”The Context
These words come from Elihu, the young man who steps in after Job’s three older friends have run out of steam. Elihu is bold, maybe a little too bold, but he’s pointing to something true: God is always working, even in suffering, to move us from narrow, suffocating places into spacious freedom. Job is in agony—physically, emotionally, spiritually—but God hasn’t abandoned him. In fact, God is the One doing the moving. Observation
Look around.
The fingerprints of a good, powerful, present God are everywhere—sunrise and baby laughter, gravity that keeps us from floating away, forgiveness that somehow still finds us when we least deserve it. Creation shouts that He exists and that He is not cruel. Oh and he loves you, And yet… I/We still sin. Every single day.
I still choose pride, selfishness, impatience, lust, greed—sometimes in big ways, mostly in small, habitual ones. If you’re honest, you do too. That’s not false humility; that’s reality. And it’s actually evidence. The fact that I keep falling short of the holiness I know is right proves I’m not self-sufficient. I need rescue. I need a Savior, need Jesus. Wanting to be “good enough on my own” doesn’t make it true. My daily failures testify louder than my best intentions. A constant reminder, Im not it, God is. Application
So what do we do with the gap between who we are and who we’re meant to be? For me to the best of my ability in all situations. Live with integrity, walk in and be in the light.
Walk honestly before God and people, whoever he made you to be, lean in. Don’t hide, don’t posture, don’t perform.
When you sin (not if), own it immediately. In AA, we have a saying, sounds good, but the truth is, after you realized you just lied.
Confess it to God. Confess it to anyone hurt by it. Name it for what it is—sin,Itst “a mistake” or “a bad day.”
Repent—turn around.
Repentance isn’t just feeling bad; it’s changing direction. Its a military term, meaning immediately, Stop doing the thing. Put guardrails in place. Ask for help.
Accept that you’re flawed; refuse to stay there.
It’s okay to stumble. It’s not okay to keep stepping in the same mud puddle and act surprised you’re dirty and wet.
Stay humble before you have to be humbled.
Pride always sets us up for a harder lesson. The goal is to learn in the whisper so we don’t have to learn in the whirlwind.

Prayer
Father,
Before I ever reach that arrogant moment where I think I’ve got life figured out,
catch me.
Keep me low.
Teach me to examine my thoughts before they become words,
my words before they become habits,
my habits before they become my character.
I don’t want to learn humility the hard way again.
I need Your Spirit to search me, correct me, and change me daily.
Thank You that You are strong enough to handle my weakness,
rich enough to cover my poverty,
and kind enough to keep moving me—from the narrow place of my own making
into the broad, free place of Your making.
Keep my heart soft, my conscience tender, and my feet quick to repent.
For Your name’s sake and for my good—
Amen. Closing Thought
God is not finished with you.
The very affliction you hate may be the tool He’s using to pry you out of a prison you didn’t even know you built.
Don’t fight the rescue.
Don’t cling to the narrow place.
There’s a table waiting in the wide-open space—
and it’s already spread with grace richer than we’ve ever tasted. Run to it.
Run to Him. It beats the alternative.