Morning Devotional 031526 Holding Space

Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room

March 15, 2026

Job 4:1-6

1 Then Eliphaz, a native of Teman, responded: 2 If one tries to answer you, will you be annoyed? But who can hold words back? 3 Look, you’ve instructed many and given strength to drooping hands. 4 Your words have raised up the falling; you’ve steadied failing knees. 5 But now it comes to you, and you are dismayed; it has struck you, and you are frightened. 6 Isn’t your religion the source of your confidence; the integrity of your conduct, the source of your hope?

Good Morning, Trust in the Lord your God!

Despite God calling Job as blameless and upright, he loses everything, and begins to doubt himself. His friends, who have been sitting with him in silence, decide it’s time to speak. They want to “fix” their friend Job. For Job, it is a time of lament, a time to call out to God.

Eliphaz believes faith should make you immune to despair. He’s shocked that Job, the great encourager, is struggling. “You should be stronger than this,” he’s saying. But that’s not how faith works. Faith doesn’t mean you never feel pain or doubt; it means you bring those things to God. 

Look at David in Psalm 13, crying, “How long, O Lord?” Or Jesus in Gethsemane, sweating blood in anguish. Faith isn’t about being stoic; it’s about trusting God in the mess. Eliphaz’s standard would leave us feeling like failures when we hurt, but God invites our honest cries.

Christ does not promise that our lives will always be easy. We will all have times of pain or doubt. Christ promises to be with us, to hold space with us, to be our portal to God to whom we cry out, “How long, O Lord?” 

Lament is not a sign of weakness. Lament is a normal part of our conversation with God, with whom we share in a relationship. The storms will come, but when the waves hit, Jesus is your anchor. He’s the one who said, “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

God of Wisdom, you bless us abundantly! Help us be present for one another. There are times when that just means sitting together without words, just holding space. We love you. In Christ’s name we pray, Amen.

Thought for the day: Show mercy and compassion for those who are hurting. 

God is closer than the breath we breathe! Pastor Liz