If you have ever asked God hard questions, if you have ever wondered how to go on trusting Him when you never fully get the answers, know this: Job of the Bible did it first. By verse nineteen of his self-titled book, the formerly prosperous Job has lost nearly everything. In one day, 11,000 of his animals are stolen, most of his servants are murdered, and a roof has caved in on his ten children, killing everyone. Nine verses later, Job is covered in sores from the “soles of his feet to the top of his head”, ulcers so painful, he is scraping them with a broken piece of pottery in search of relief (Job 2:7-8). His body is broken; his heart is broken.
We see the depths of Job’s despair when his three friends, who have come to console him do not even recognize their friend amidst his anguish and suffering. Because they saw his “pain was very great” they simply sit in silence with the grief-stricken father for seven days and seven nights, weeping with him as he mourns all that was lost (2:11-13). By verse 1 of chapter 3, Job is inconsolable. His heartache and desolation are so terrible, he wishes he was never born so he would not have to endure it. We hear the ache in his words, “Why did I not die at birth, and why did I not expire as I came out of the womb? Why did the knees welcome me, and why were there two breasts that I might nurse at them? For now I would be lying down and would be quiet, I would be asleep and then at peace…Why does God give light to one who is in misery, and life to those whose soul is bitter, to those who wait for death that does not come, and search for it” (Job 3:11-13, 20-21).
To add to his misery, the friends who had silently supported Job at first start questioning whether he or his children have brought this torment on themselves. They tell him in Job 8:5-6, “But if you will look to God, and make your supplication to the Almighty, if you become pure and upright, even now he will rouse himself for you, and will restore your righteous home.” In other words, “This is on you, buddy. Get yourself straight with God and He’ll work it out.” Helpful, right?
Job’s friends wrongly assume his misery meant someone deserved it, but loss does not establish guilt. Though God rebukes them for their assumption in chapter 42, He never reveals to Job or his friends the reason for his anguish. We are told in Job 1:1 God saw Job as a “blameless and upright” man, one who “feared God and turned away from evil”. We see Satan question God about the validity of Job’s faithfulness in Job 1:9-11. Satan insinuates Job only followed God because God had so richly blessed him. In verse 12, the Lord says to Satan, “All right then, everything he has is in your power. Only do not extend your hand against the man himself!”
This is difficult to accept. Not just in Job’s scenario, but all around us today. Just turn on the news for five minutes and you will find yourself asking how God can allow such hurt and depravity. Maybe you are struggling with accepting what God has allowed in your own life. Job may have mourned, questioned, and regretted being born but even in his devastation, he helps us reconcile a loving God with the gut-wrenching tornadoes that can tear through our sunny world in an instant.
- Job recognized God as the keeper of wisdom. Job 28:12-13, 23-24 says, “But wisdom—where can it be found? Where is the place of understanding? Mankind does not know its place; it cannot be found in the land of the living…God understands the way to it, and he alone knows its place. For he looks to the ends of the earth and observes everything under the heavens.” God sees across the ages and trusting Him means knowing, “just as the skyis higher than the earth, so [His] deedsare superior to your deeds and [His] planssuperior to your plans” (Isaiah 55:9).
- Trust does not require receiving every answer. Job never receives a satisfying explanation for his unthinkable heartache yet still in his devastation he can say, “‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will return there. The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. May the name of the Lord be blessed!’ In all this Job did not sin, nor did he charge God with moral impropriety.” (Job 1:21-22).
My friend Patsy’s a beautiful modern-day Job. She had to wrestle with her own heartache and hard questions when someone else’s negligence resulted in the loss of her young daughter. Watch or listen to my episode Forecasting with Friends: When Life Changes Forever to hear how God healed her heart enough to restore her joy and give her the courage to forgive the man responsible for the accident…and herself. Both Job and Patsy prove grief, joy, questions, and trust can coexist and that our God is big enough to shoulder them all.
—————————————————————————————————————————-
Weather Changes. God’s Goodness Remains.
Tomorrow’s weather may be unknown, but with the Lord, your forecast can be joy.
—————————————————————————————————————————–