Friday, May 18, 2018

Responding to bad news ............. Parables 743

February 5, 2002

We lost touch for the past few years so an old friend’s letter came as a welcome surprise. However, her news is not good. The letter read like the experiences of Job, a biblical patriarch who lost his family, possessions and health. My friend has lost her health to the point she cannot enjoy her possessions, and sadly, her family has been in one mess after another.

What can I say to my friend? I thought of the three friends who came to comfort Job. At first, they were so overcome by his situation that they could not say anything. I feel like that. But I need to reply and no matter what I say, I want to avoid the next thing Job’s friends did; they began telling him that he must have done something wrong to deserve this. They reasoned that God never punishes the righteous.

Maybe these accusations were an attempt to sort out their own theology. Maybe they were trying to relieve their sense of helplessness. But whatever their reasons, Job knew that his friends were wrong. He was not disobeying God when these tragedies struck. Job didn’t claim to be sinless, but he knew that when God chastens anyone for a particular sin, that person knows what it is. When God puts us under His thumb, we are not left in the dark. We realize we deserve at least a good slap or some other consequences.

After a series of speeches between his friends and himself, Job finally lashes out at them but to no avail. They insist that he must have done something to deserve what happened to him.

Finally, God speaks. He rebukes Job for forgetting how great God is, but never explains why he was tested. Instead, God commends his integrity and that Job “spoke rightly.” In other words, the devastating events were not a result of any particular disobedience. Bad things happen to good people.

Back to my friend. She does not know God. He has been left out of her life by her choice. Some people might tell her if she turned to God those bad things would not have happened to her. I cannot tell her that. I know the story of Job. Furthermore, I don’t want to be a “Job’s comforter.”

Also, I cannot promise her that if she turns to God now, He will fix it. God does not promise us a walk in the roses or any other kind of garden. Life cannot, and will not, be perfect. If she were upset, I could hug her but I cannot send her to God with a blank cheque.

So what benefit is there to being a Christian? Job believed in God and got smucked. My friend does not believe and she got smucked too. This is a huge question but perhaps the answer lies in the fact that we assume too much.

We assume uncomfortable is bad and comfortable equals good. A careful reading of Scripture shows that sometimes, in the mind of God, “good” is bad and “bad” is good. Besides, God can use any situation to transform our lives and make us more like Jesus, no matter how we might label it. His reasons are holy and good, even if we cannot figure them out.

However, there are benefits to being a Christian. Believers are never alone. We are often awed by God’s power. He may remove us from trouble or take trouble away from us but more often, He takes us through it. He teaches us to respond in faith rather than with anger, despair or hopelessness.

Since my friend reported her circumstances much like a news story, I don’t know if she is bitter or overwhelmed. I don’t know if she is trusting God or has her fist in His face. Before I assume and open my mouth, I better remember Job’s foolish friends and find out.

Lord, You say, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Help me be a benefit to my friend. Give me right words to say to her, and keep me from assuming anything. Amen.

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