"I'm human! Okay!?"
"And I'm tired. I'm frustrated. Things are crumbling around me. I cry out to God and He doesn't answer. My "friends" at church don't care. Heck, they don't even bother to call me and ask how I'm doing or take me for a cup of coffee."
"I go to church. I teach Sunday school. I sing in the choir. My kids are active in youth groups. I'm in a small group, reading and studying the Bible. Things seem like they're finally leveling out and bam! I'm hit again. My spouse is clueless to the dilemmas and furthermore, they heap even more demands on me. They don't understand!"
"I'm tired of being told that 'I don't have enough faith.' How do they know?"
"And my non-Christian friends and acquaintances? One just got a new car. Another is in the process of remodeling their kitchen. Again. And another "friend" just told me about a second vacation they're planning for in 2 months; one of those all-inclusive deals at a fancy resort. Our last vacation was at a friend's cottage a couple of hours' drive away."
"Doesn't God love me? Doesn't He care?"
"I cry and cry until there are no more tears. There just doesn't seem to be any more relief. Oh, and did I mention that my accountant called to tell me that we owe an additional couple of thousand dollars in taxes? Does he think I'm just going to pull it out of thin air?"
"I'm tapped out. Mentally. Physically. Emotionally. Relationally. Financially."
"People almost seem to avoid me in church because when (if) they ask how we're doing and I'm honest and I tell them - supposedly in confidence - the story is twisted around to make it sound even worse. I just need some prayer support."
"I just need someone to come alongside me and hug me and love me and my family for who we are."
"My spouse wants out and they don't realize the harm that will be done to all of us - just because they're unhappy. Why doesn't God answer my plea?"
"I just wish I would hear that great Trumpet of Jesus and be called Home. I'm tired."
Does that sound familiar? I thought so.
The Book of Job is either one of the most endearing books of the Bible or it is one of the most dreaded. Many times, we joke about having a "Job moment" or feeling like Job. Especially when times are tough; or even dire.
It's even worse when the circumstances linger for an extended time. As weeks and months and sometimes years pass by, we look for relief but often end up crying ourselves to sleep. Prayers seem to bounce off the ceiling mocking us.
And that's the beauty of the Book of Job. It is, in my opinion, a book that God put together for the more "mature" Christian believer; the one who has been around the block. It is not a book for the faint of heart. Right now, Job is part of my devotional reading and study life. Job is my friend and "divine mentor". And to be honest, I'm glad I don't have any friends like he had.
The Book of Job is riddled with truths about the Nature of God; even uttered by Job's friends. The problem is, although true, they sound like platitudes. The hurting person is not so much looking for answers as they are looking for Grace. Through the passages in Job, we learn and see the Majesty of the Creator of the universe. We learn how to plow through life.
What I like best about Job is that he permits me to be "mad" at God. Job demands to have an audience with God to plead his case personally. Job's frustration with his circumstances is just so blatant. And real. I can honestly tell you that certain passages parallel my life and ministry. These are hard truths to read. It's bad enough to lose or have your livelihood taken away, but to lose (either literally or figuratively) your children and health?
Then there are the memories of "how it used to be." The times when you were looked up to by others. The times when you walked tall and confident. The times when your word and experience meant something to someone other than your spouse and kids (and mother!). And now as distress swirls about you, you feel lost. You (I), demand an audience with God. We (I) demand answers.
That sounds pretty self-centered, doesn't it? I guess it does. But sometimes God chooses people like Job and you and me for purposes that we will only learn about on the other side of Glory. I suppose. It just doesn't seem fair. The unrighteous seem to get all the "goodies" in this life. Many of us seem to suffer and slog through. But then the unrighteous man and woman die and then what? I guess we have to ask the question, "What is fair?"
My demandingness is brought about by personal selfishness, self-centeredness, and thinking that I (rather than God) have a superior way of dealing with my needs. When I am demanding an answer, it's about my needs and my desires, not God's or others; it's about my plan (which is sometimes obviously broken) for my life versus God's Plan for all of His creation and purposes (of which my part is a tiny cog or spoke). I think that sounds like pride, doesn't it? When things are crumbling apart we demand to know why. We claim to want to know the Truth.
But as Jack Nicholson's character once said, "You can't handle the truth!" That's probably more true than we want to admit; at least what I am willing to admit. My pride has gotten in the way of God's Plan for my life. I have forgotten that He is to be glorified FIRST; then my joy will come and be complete. It's that order again.
But, back to my mentor and friend Job.
There is a lot to be gleaned from the Book of Job. Practically and spiritually. But most importantly, relationally. I've been told that the Book of Job is most likely the oldest book of the Bible. It is a majestic book. The poetry and the images are magnificent.
In its pages and passages, we read of the Nature and Creativity of God. Whether looking at the world around us or the sky above us or the depths of the oceans, it's a glorious revelation of God. We can see that He delights in literally everything that He does. We also see that all of creation truly acknowledges Who God is: the Creator and Sustainer of all things. In it, we see the Greatness and Goodness of God.
"His wisdom is profound, his power is vast.
Who has resisted him and come out unscathed?
He moves mountains without their knowing it
and overturns them in his anger.
He shakes the earth from its place
and makes its pillars tremble.
He speaks to the sun and it does not shine;
he seals off the light of the stars.
He alone stretches out the heavens
and treads on the waves of the sea.
He is the Maker of the Bear and Orion,
the Pleiades and the constellations of the south.
He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed,
miracles that cannot be counted.
When he passes me, I cannot see him;
when he goes by, I cannot perceive him.
If he snatches away, who can stop him?
Who can say to him, 'What are you doing?'" Job 9:4-12
Relationally, here's a taste of what threads through the book:
"What is man that you make so much of him,
that you give him so much attention,
that you examine him every morning
and test him every moment?
Will you never look away from me,
or let me alone even for an instant?
If I have sinned, what have I done to you,
O watcher of men?" Job 7:17-20.
And then further:
"Surely God does not reject a blameless man
or strengthen the hands of evildoers.
He will yet fill your mouth with laughter
and your lips with shouts of joy.
Your enemies will be clothed in shame,
and the tents of the wicked will be no more." Job 8:20-22.
Or later in the book:
"God is mighty, but does not despise men;
he is mighty, and firm in his purpose.
He does not keep the wicked alive
but gives the afflicted their rights.
He does not take his eyes off the righteous;
he enthrones them with kings and exalts them forever.
But if men are bound in chains,
held fast by cords of affliction,
he tells them what they have done—
that they have sinned arrogantly.
He makes them listen to correction
and commands them to repent of their evil.
If they obey and serve him,
they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity and their years in contentment.
But if they do not listen,
they will perish by the sword and die without knowledge." Job 36:5-12.
We learn much about God. We also learn how to approach God.
In the end, Job gets his audience before God. Be careful what you ask for! And God lovingly, but authoritatively, reminds this suffering man Who is in charge of all. God quizzes him, and of course, Job is speechless. How can any of us, no matter how "good" or righteous we think we are, compare ourselves to God? The chasm between God and His creation is vast.
Although stern, God is exactly correct in all that He says. Job listens. God brings him back into a proper relationship:
"Then Job replied to the LORD: I know that you can do all things;
no plan of yours can be thwarted.
You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?’
Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.
You said, 'Listen now, and I will speak;
I will question you, and you shall answer me.'
My ears had heard of you
but now my eyes have seen you.
Therefore I despise myself
and repent in dust and ashes." Job 42:1-6.
Job spoke honestly before God; just as we should. He spoke (prayed) honestly because he knew Who God is. Job knew God's justice and mercy and grace. Job demanded and received an answer. I don't think it was quite what he expected. But because Job understood God's Sovereignty in all things, he could be bold.
Every one of us who knows God can speak directly to Him. We don't need a mediator like a priest or rabbi or minister. We do need a relationship with Him. Even Job knew that. Job relied on that fact. Job knew that was the one thing he could depend upon to rescue him from his predicament. The mediator was God Himself.
Job, like us, demanded an answer. God answered him "no", then "wait", then finally "yes", but it wasn't the "yes" he expected. In fact, we could probably - and accurately - say that Job got more than he bargained for. I'll let you read the end of the story for yourself.
Looking back, my sinful nature makes this proclamation:
“Oh, that my words were recorded,
that they were written on a scroll,
that they were inscribed with an iron tool on lead,
or engraved in rock forever!" Job 19:23 - 24.
My demandingness wants to make a bold statement that the rest of the world around me will see or pay attention to. I don't know about you, but I want to be relevant to someone other than myself. The idea that I am "but a vapor" sometimes bugs me. My pride is insidious. I may think and then say something like that, but you know what? That is a rash statement that I will most likely one day regret. In reality, all of us need to pray and commune and speak with God. We need to BE with God.
We need to pray as Job prayed. We may be called upon by God to even live as Job lived. What kept Job going? I think it's the same thing that keeps me going when my world is crumbling around me. On this verse, I can depend and keep my hope surely fixed upon, as he continues speaking:
"I know that my Redeemer lives,
and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.
And after my skin has been destroyed,
yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes." Job 19:25-27
I'm glad that I'm an heir to the King of the Universe. I'm glad that my God loves me because He created me. I'm glad that He has personally forgiven me and removed my sin from His sight just because I acknowledged Who Jesus is and What Jesus did; once and for all time. I'm more sinful than you or anybody knows, but I'm also more loved than I or anyone can imagine.
I'm glad I got that off my chest!
Thank you, Lord, that through Christ I have a relationship with You and You want me to speak honestly to You, seeking Your Grace. Thank you for even providing me the right words to speak to You. Thank you for providing the comfort that I also need. Amen.
Worn - Tenth Avenue North
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