10.23.12
Job 13.20-21 20 “Only two things do not do to me, then I
will not hide from Your face: 21 Remove Your hand from me, and let not the
dread of You terrify me. NASB
“God, whatever it takes, don’t remove Your power and
presence from my life and strengthen me that my attitude toward You will not
lessen.” I think we have to be careful
to remember through the entire dialogue that Job was suffering at a level that
few humans ever have. He was sick, he was sorry and in the midst of all of that,
he had to defend himself to three men who’d decided he was some monstrous
sinner or else he wouldn’t be suffering so… it doesn’t feel good to get kicked
when you’re down – it feels even worse when you’re sick and down.
Job’s cry to God was: Lord, don’t leave me; and, Lord,
don’t let my feelings toward You diminish. Job understood that if anyone was
going to help him it was God Alone. And so in the midst of his (mysterious) suffering
he felt like God might leave the picture or his attitude toward God might go
south. Job didn’t know where this thing was going to lead.
Life throws things at us that we don’t
understand. (The birth of our first child brought that home to me in a big way.)
But at some point the believer has to allow God to be God in the middle of the
circumstances and to keep one’s heart from growing cold toward spiritual
things. Just because I don’t understand what’s going on doesn’t mean God isn’t
in control.
Job feared God may just let him go – that would be something to be concerned
about. Job also feared his dread (respect) for God may turn into mistrust.
Divorces come from mistrust. Family feuds come from mistrust. Church splits
come from mistrust. Friendships fail because mistrust crept in… Nations go to
war over mistrust.
To mistrust God is to doubt His motives and His love. And
what hurts us most is misplaced expectations or too great expectations.
Relationship with God is simpler than we allow and when our high (but possible
unreal) expectations are dashed then we begin to believe God either doesn’t
care or can’t do anything about our situation. What we expect and what is can
be universes apart.
Careful, thoughtful, and meditative reading of Scripture
helps. Wise counselors help too. The apostle Paul said: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of
mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that
we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort
with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For just as the sufferings of
Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ. But
if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; or if we are
comforted, it is for your comfort, which is effective in the patient enduring
of the same sufferings which we also suffer; and our hope for you is firmly
grounded, knowing that as you are sharers of our sufferings, so also you are
sharers of our comfort. (2 Corinthians 1.3-7 NASB) Job just wanted to have
the right perspective in all he was going through and wanted comfort, not
condemnation from his friends.
None of us has all the answers; nor do any of us get to see
the whole of the big picture. The main thing is to keep the main thing the main
thing: that God unfailingly loves us, and has us go through whatever for our
good, and never for evil. We should comfort one another with these words and
look to encourage those in distress not try to figure out why they're getting what they deserve...
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