Job 19:21

Have pity on me, you who are my friends, have pity on me,

   For the hand of God has touched me.

 

Someone once told me they were honored to have me visit. I told them I wasn’t worthy of that sentiment. But they were kind of old fashioned and probably did it out of habit rather than really feeling honored. Or maybe they think more highly of me than I deserve.

More versions have the two pity phrases back to back for emphasis, but I don’t speak that way and kept them apart. ‘Pity’ was also once ‘mercy’. ‘Friends’ was also once ‘companions’.

‘Touched’ was also ‘struck’ a couple times and ‘blighted’ once.

I heard a Led Zepplin song on a tv show and they put the words to the song on the bottom of the screen. I had heard the song (many times) but never bothered to listen to the words or remember them. Something in my brain just does not make learning words from hearing them simple for me. My kids don’t have this problem, but for whatever reason this struck me when listening to the song and seeing the words.

One of the things I have always know (outside the night I thought I was going to die from whatever illness I had) is that God had given me my health. I have my physical issues, but none are to the level that others should pity me. My dad died from cancer, and I have yet to deal with anything so impactful on what I can do. Many people have not been so shielded.

Job correctly identified God as the source of his recovery, and I have always believed that our escape from anything is given by God. My goals to do whatever are never enough. I always need the strength of God to accomplish anything. My hope is that I always seek His strength for the things He wants. I have a lot of alone time the next ten days, so hopefully I can use them to hear His call.

 

Written 12/26/25, Posted 1/21/26, Job 421/~1070