Life Happens and is rarely fair. In our culture we see temper tantrums every day. Things don’t go the way we want, and we blame everybody and everything. The political arena has really been like that recently. People who used to be able to “ride the bumps” of life are going off the deep end. It seems that our “reserve” just isn’t what it used to be. I think that is why the book of JOB is more relevant than ever. I like the heart of this man who lost everything. It strikes me as odd that God showcases those with pain, disappointment and suffering to teach us. The Bible could be God’s collection of successful preachers and prophets. Like a winner’s guild or training posse. Instead we see train wrecks and nervous traveling ministers with sketchy backgrounds as his workers. Interesting, isn’t it? Let’s see how he responded to grief:
1:20 Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and cried till his head hurt? No, not exactly. It ends with and
“gave himself to worship.”
That means he gave it ALL in worship, holding nothing back. That is shocking. Even normal grief says you cry and fuss a while. Now my curiosity is piqued. How? How is it that this man’s response and reaction to devastation and suffering is so unique and beautiful? I think he must have developed an intimate relationship with God beforehand. Worship would not have been my first thought. He punched the wall, he drank, he screamed, he kicked the cat, yes. Worship? It almost seems foreign, yet this godly man knew exactly what to do in a time of trial. I’ve only seen that response once or twice in my life but when it happens you connect with Heaven.
We like to spiritualize. When hard times come our way maybe we go to church or read a few more scriptures but Job threw himself into worship – the wholehearted praise of God. He didn’t first take a day of vacation or get everyone’s input. He goes to his ONE Source – God. Not a priest, prophet, leader or spouse but God Himself. He went to the One who could make a difference. Maybe this book is not about Job. Maybe this book isn’t even about his suffering. Like Esther where God is not mentioned but we see God’s sovereignty, maybe this is a book that talks a lot about God, yet it is about Him being Lord.
Let’s check his friends out:
2:13 “So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spoke a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great.” Those are amazing friends if they can listen and keep silent for that long! At first, they didn’t try to fix Job – they just listened. That’s a rare gift to find someone to sit with you in your pain and just share your heart. Job was closest to his divine friend: 16:19 “my advocate is on high. My intercessor is my friend as my eyes pour out tears to God; on behalf of a man he pleads with God as one pleads for a friend. Job goes on to declare who this friend is: Job 19, “I know that my redeemer lives,
and that in the end he will stand on 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—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!
This may be key to everything – this suffering WILL END. There WILL come a day where torment stops and we encounter GOD Himself. Hope increases.
While many commentaries focus on what Job lost, it is interesting to me to realize what he first had. Surely God’s favor had been on him before tragedy struck: Job 29; “Oh, for the days when I was in my prime, when God’s intimate friendship blessed my house, when the Almighty was still with me and my children were around me, then my path was drenched with cream and the rock poured out for me streams of olive oil.”
It seems that what Job missed most, what Job wanted most, what Job sought for most – was God’s friendship to be restored. He knew God as friend, so he could turn to HIM. He knew God was good, so he could worship Him. I think the greater suffering is not having hope that things will get better or knowing what that would be like. Job knew what was possible because he had been close to God in the past. He could picture in his mind what restoration and return looked like. His point of reference, his baseline, his life was wrapped around God.
The middle chapters of Job are good but wearisome as his friends do some intervention type meetings that fall short. He calls them worthless physicians, everyone. I like this poem that one of my supervisors shared with us this week:
A New Serenity Prayer
By Fr. James Martin, SJ — The Jesuit Post
God, grant me the serenity
to accept the people I cannot change,
which is pretty much everyone,
since I’m clearly not you, God.
At least not the last time I checked.
And while you’re at it, God,
please give me the courage
to change what I need to change about myself,
which is frankly a lot, since, once again,
I’m not you, which means I’m not perfect.
It’s better for me to focus on changing myself
than to worry about changing other people,
who, as you’ll no doubt remember me saying,
I can’t change anyway.
Finally, give me the wisdom to just shut up
whenever I think that I’m clearly smarter
than everyone else in the room,
that no one knows what they’re talking about except me,
or that I alone have all the answers.
Basically, God,
grant me the wisdom
to remember that I’m
not you.
Amen
I need this. Job’s friends need this. Maybe… someone sitting next to you needs this? After reading it I read this in Job: “Job 37. The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power; in his justice and great righteousness, he does not oppress. 24 Therefore, people revere Him…”
Giving our whole selves in worship no matter what the circumstance, sitting with people in silence, hearing God speak over the shouts and screams of our suffering may take a lifetime to understand. We often hear about the patience or perseverance of Job. I’d like to tweak that just a bit. After studying this book, I think it speaks to my heart more like this, “the posture of Job”. I want that. I need that, because it seems that everything else is irrelevant if we have that one thing in place. God is BIG, WISE, Wonderful. I’m not Him, nor do I speak for Him or direct Him. Oh, the POSTURE of Job.
The song that ministered to me while studying this book was I’m listening by Chris McClarney and Hollyn. I want to hear Him, I want Him to hear me. I want to hear others and pray for them to the God that hears all. The next book we study is Psalms. If our hearts are postured before God, the praises and worship can flow. Wow, God’s word is so connected, and its purpose is to bend our hearts to God’s will.
So, Lord:
We posture our hearts, lives and will before You now.
You are the Lord God Almighty and we surrender to YOU. We are listening, listening, listening.
We are ready to hear and obey. We don’t want to miss one word YOU speak, so quiet our hearts we are
LISTENING.
RenaeRoche2019