This Job study. It hits a little hard. It makes me wonder and ask. Mostly about myself. How would I handle this life without God? How would I handle my life if it paralleled Job’s?
I invite you to read Job 3-7 with me.
Job's in a really bad place.
Cursing the day of his birth (Job 3), he begs the Lord for death. Because his life is miserable, even when he lies down to sleep he is tormented in his dreams.
He asks God why.
He looks at his life. Is there sin that led to such anguish?
He has this conversation with his friends. His friend seems to be encouraging to him right now (Job 4). He reminds Job of the wonders and miracles God performs everyday. How He sustains life and bestows blessings. His friend reminds Job that he has seen it, too. "So hear it and apply it to yourself." (Job 5).
And this back and forth, with Job begging God. "Remember, O God, that my life is but a breath, my eyes will never see happiness again." (Job 6 & 7)
Job can't see the whole picture. Did God tell Job why? Did He tell Job He allowed Satan free reign because in the end, the Lord would be glorified even more?
Maybe you're Job or maybe you're Job's friend.
If you are Job right now, man I am so sorry. If you are in the depths of despair, begging for relief from this cruel world, asking for a miracle, or just wondering "why", you are not alone. You are not the first and not the last. And each moment of anquish provides us a chance to answer the question, are we with God or against Him? Do we trust Him? Will we allow these moments to draw us closer to Him or push us away? Will we allow bitterness to dwell in our hearts? Or the Holy Spirit to take hold of our souls?
If you are Job's friend right now...I want to encourage you to sit with Job. You can ask those really hard questions. You can encourage. You can lift up. Words carry a lot of weight, especially in times like this.
He provides rain for the earth (Job 5:10). Help your friend, who is in the depths of despair, and maybe even blinded from it, to see clearly, to remember what the Lord has done and continues to do.
And then, just be. Be with Job.
Whether you are Job or his friend, let's move forward pointing each other toward Christ. In truth and in love, one moment at a time. Because this life here on earth is but a breath. Our moments become our lives and our lives our legacy. So when bad things happen, we ask the questions. We choose Christ. And we move on. These moments of despair do not have to define us. It's what we do with them. It's who we choose in them.
