Job 6.4 4 For the arrows of the Almighty are in me; my
spirit drinks their poison; the terrors of God are arrayed against me. (ESV)
I think in this part of Job’s suffering his pain was brutally
intense – internally and externally. I think he was confused, concerned, and
crying out: Why God!? And I think Heaven was silent.
We often (mistakenly) think we deserve an explanation
from God: God why is this happening to
me; what have I done? Pain is a season in life where we tend to quickly
draw conclusions and make judgments about our plight – no one likes to be sick
or disabled. So we ask God for answers and possibly come to the conclusion in
the silence that follows that God somehow doesn’t care and it isn’t fair that
He didn’t bring us in on the planning meeting for our current condition.
And as Job sought answers and he thought about arrows and
poison, and terrors.
Thank God there is Jesus. Thank God there is the Holy
Spirit. Thank God that in the midst of very troubling, trying, terrifying and
tough circumstances He has told us: I love you and I am with you. There is
nothing like pain that brings us to that place where we have to make a decision
as to whether or not we believe that.
For us, the difficulty of Job is we’re let in on the
story – we’re told from the get-go that God allowed Satan to buffet Job as he
sought – only don’t kill him. Today’s narrative in Job 6 and 7 indicates Job preferred
death: at least if that happened he quit being so miserable and mystified.
Recently I’ve come across two different posts that have
to do with the myth of God’s only giving us what we can handle: WE CAN’T HANDLE
ANY OF IT!!!!! It doesn’t matter if we’re in on the planning meeting or not –
we can’t handle any of it. Perhaps that thought stems from a misunderstanding
of 1 Corinthians 10: No temptation has
overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let
you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also
provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. (V.13)
Temptation is different than suffering, and even in the
midst of intense suffering the temptation may be to blame God; but according to
Paul, there is even a way to avoid that and to endure.
Even if, the arrows of the Almighty are in me and my
spirit drinks in their poison, and the terrors of doubt and misunderstanding
are arrayed against me there is still this unfailing truth: Jesus loves me this
I know for the Bible tells me so. I have to cling steadfastly to that. I’m sunk
and miserable if I don’t. I don’t have all the answers – but I do have one: He
loves me.
Lord,
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be
acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. – amen.
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