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.
Showing posts with label Job tested. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Job tested. Show all posts
Friday, May 18, 2018
Monday, October 24, 2016
Bad things do happen to good people .......... Parables 501
February 20, 1996
The flight was supposed to leave at 11:30 p.m. After boarding, the pilot announced one gauge failed to read properly. Every few minutes, he returned with negative updates. After an hour, they sent us back into the terminal for coffee and muffins. Finally, about 2:30 a.m., the pilot brought even worse news: the right engine failed. They canceled the flight.
We returned to ticketing. Bob and I told the agent to get us to Orlando, even if she had to reroute us through Hawaii. Nice try, she said, and booked us through Dallas, Texas, a flight leaving at 6:00 a.m. with check-in at 4:30. It was too late to go home and too early to go to gate whatever, so we found a couple of benches and slept, sort of.
The return to Edmonton was almost as challenging. When we boarded in Orlando, the weather was sunny and warm. People were wearing shorts and shirt-sleeves. When we arrived back home, we were greeted by one of the coldest days of the year. Even hardy Albertans struggle with such drastic transitions!
Despite the inconveniences, few people grumbled about the flight cancellation or the weather. Perhaps it is because nearly everyone realized that grumbling would not change either situation. Being angry cannot provoke airlines to produce replacement airplanes or raise winter temperatures. It only heats up those who complain!
Job, a man who has an Old Testament book named after him, is a man for all time because he set a good example of what to do in adversity. He was a good man, wealthy and yet wise. He loved his family and treated his servants, friends and neighbors well. For most of his life, he had little to complain about. All that would change.
Unknown to Job, Satan looked at his goodness with contempt. Job’s integrity was a definite blight to his evil plans. He approached God with a scheme to stop it, suggesting if God did not take such good care of Job, the man would not continue to live in a godly way.
God knew Job’s heart. He also knew that genuine faith in Him is a persevering faith. Satan was actually challenging the integrity of God so the Lord accepted his challenge. He gave Satan permission do whatever he wanted except touch Job’s body. He quickly destroyed this man’s family, servants, and all his livestock — in one day!
Of course Job was overcome by grief, yet Scripture records “in all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.”
Satan returned and claimed if Job was struck down physically, he would curse God to His face. God allowed this test too, but forbid him to take the man’s life. Then Job’s situation became even more desperate. Even his wife encouraged him to “curse God and die.”
Job’s response? “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” In all this, the Bible says Job did not sin in what he said. He later complained and questioned God, but never agreed God was punishing him for hidden sins, as was the accusation of his friends. He did not enjoy or understand what was happening but held onto his belief that God would work good from it. He said, “When I am tested, I will come forth as gold” and “though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.”
Job’s story makes readers thankful for what they have and glad that God is in control. We may wonder why God allows such horrible things to happen to good people but God’s Word never explains. He only invites us to trust Him. Job did — and survived the challenges, challenges far more difficult than sleeping on a plastic bench or making a transition from a balmy +25 to a frigid -37.
The flight was supposed to leave at 11:30 p.m. After boarding, the pilot announced one gauge failed to read properly. Every few minutes, he returned with negative updates. After an hour, they sent us back into the terminal for coffee and muffins. Finally, about 2:30 a.m., the pilot brought even worse news: the right engine failed. They canceled the flight.
We returned to ticketing. Bob and I told the agent to get us to Orlando, even if she had to reroute us through Hawaii. Nice try, she said, and booked us through Dallas, Texas, a flight leaving at 6:00 a.m. with check-in at 4:30. It was too late to go home and too early to go to gate whatever, so we found a couple of benches and slept, sort of.
The return to Edmonton was almost as challenging. When we boarded in Orlando, the weather was sunny and warm. People were wearing shorts and shirt-sleeves. When we arrived back home, we were greeted by one of the coldest days of the year. Even hardy Albertans struggle with such drastic transitions!
Despite the inconveniences, few people grumbled about the flight cancellation or the weather. Perhaps it is because nearly everyone realized that grumbling would not change either situation. Being angry cannot provoke airlines to produce replacement airplanes or raise winter temperatures. It only heats up those who complain!
Job, a man who has an Old Testament book named after him, is a man for all time because he set a good example of what to do in adversity. He was a good man, wealthy and yet wise. He loved his family and treated his servants, friends and neighbors well. For most of his life, he had little to complain about. All that would change.
Unknown to Job, Satan looked at his goodness with contempt. Job’s integrity was a definite blight to his evil plans. He approached God with a scheme to stop it, suggesting if God did not take such good care of Job, the man would not continue to live in a godly way.
God knew Job’s heart. He also knew that genuine faith in Him is a persevering faith. Satan was actually challenging the integrity of God so the Lord accepted his challenge. He gave Satan permission do whatever he wanted except touch Job’s body. He quickly destroyed this man’s family, servants, and all his livestock — in one day!
Of course Job was overcome by grief, yet Scripture records “in all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.”
Satan returned and claimed if Job was struck down physically, he would curse God to His face. God allowed this test too, but forbid him to take the man’s life. Then Job’s situation became even more desperate. Even his wife encouraged him to “curse God and die.”
Job’s response? “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” In all this, the Bible says Job did not sin in what he said. He later complained and questioned God, but never agreed God was punishing him for hidden sins, as was the accusation of his friends. He did not enjoy or understand what was happening but held onto his belief that God would work good from it. He said, “When I am tested, I will come forth as gold” and “though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.”
Job’s story makes readers thankful for what they have and glad that God is in control. We may wonder why God allows such horrible things to happen to good people but God’s Word never explains. He only invites us to trust Him. Job did — and survived the challenges, challenges far more difficult than sleeping on a plastic bench or making a transition from a balmy +25 to a frigid -37.
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