Weighed and Laid

10.20.12

Job 6.2 2 “Oh that my grief were actually weighed and laid in the balances together with my calamity!" NASB

According to the laws of our land (the US), one is presumed innocent until proven guilty. Pardon my cynicism, but that ain’t the way most folks think. In the information age the news is out before the bail is posted and the suspected is already and convicted tried in the court of public opinion before the arraignment. Innocent until proven guilty is a cute theory that nowadays rarely plays out. It sure didn’t in Job’s day…

Job’s complaint is he doesn’t even get to grieve because he’s too busy fighting for his innocence in the court of public opinion – Job, you surely did something to deserve what is happening to you; otherwise you’d be blessed like the rest of us… People are always looking for a reason for the unreasonable.

Job wants to mourn – he wants to grieve; he wants some explanation for what is happening and when he examines himself, he can’t find an answer. Job’s friends can only conclude that there is some hidden evil for Job’s suffering, and that has to be the only explanation that he is living in such ‘calamity’. Often one hurts one’s case when there is no emotional response to calamity. When one appears callous and aloof in the proceedings of the investigation and inquiry, a lack of tears and angst plays against the credibility of one’s defense. Job just wanted to cry but his friends kept demanding he confess to some hidden crime.

For the child of God, humanly inexplicable suffering only deserves one answer: God knows what He is doing. Recently I worked for an organization whose purposes were political. I spent all of my time traveling around my part of the state of Oregon making my living by convincing people to join the organization. I’ve since quit doing that and have returned to the job I had previously before I went to work for the political organization. I have been plagued with memories of my time out on the road to the point I have thought to seek counseling. But then it occurred to me one day: pray about this and ask God to use it in your life for good, or at least some kind of instruction.

I realize, that in no way does this compare to the suffering of Job or the sufferings of others. But I also got to the place personally where I realized just asking God to take it away wasn’t helping, and I surmised there must be some greater issue going on here – so why not pray about it and ask, every time the memories come up, God to use them and to instruct me in His way. Whatever happens to us now is usually what prepares us for the future – amen?

Regardless of what the court of public opinion serves us – at work, church, school, family, etc. – our grief must be weighed and laid together with our calamity. God is at work and He is the only One who really, really matters. And He is not capricious and He is not cruel. He is righteous and wise and knows just what He is doing in preparing us for eternity. Our life on earth by faith serves no purpose if it isn’t preparing us for our next life in the presence of God by sight.

And Job, faithful friend, you weren’t included in any of the planning or execution of your plight: but you learned a valuable lesson with God and your faith didn’t fail! How wonderful! What an example to the rest of us who are busy living out your kind of life on earth, one day at a time… And God called you blameless!

Father, thank You for what You are doing in each of us to prepare us for what awaits us next…