“Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him: On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him.”
The Fog
Job names a comprehensive search here, forward, backward, on every side, worth holding as genuine, thorough seeking, not casual or halfhearted, but actual, deliberate searching that has still, honestly, produced this described absence, I cannot behold him.
This is worth examining against however much you have assumed your own inability to sense God must reflect insufficient effort on your own part, rather than Job’s own honest testimony, genuine, thorough searching still sometimes, actually producing this same felt absence.
Notice this is spoken by a man scripture itself calls righteous, worth holding as needed correction against assuming this described absence is evidence of your own spiritual failure, rather than a genuine, honest experience that even genuinely faithful people have actually known.
Whatever direction you have searched, forward, backward, on every side, without genuinely sensing God’s presence, name this honestly today, following Job’s own direct testimony, trusting that this experience does not disqualify your own genuine faith, any more than it disqualified his.
Walk Through the Fog
- Name honestly the specific ways you have genuinely searched without sensing God’s presence.
- Receive Job’s own testimony as companionship, not evidence of your own spiritual failure.
- Resist the assumption that this felt absence proves insufficient faith or effort.
Prayer
Lord, I go forward, but you are not there, and backward, but I cannot perceive you. Let me name this honestly, trusting Job’s own testimony as genuine companionship. Amen.
Carry this today
Genuine, thorough searching can still, honestly, produce a felt absence of God.