I have been reading through the Bible. I leave it open on the dining room table so it’s easy to get to and i dont have to find a way to get comfortable in my recliner. Kind of like sitting up straight while doing homework. Anyway – it helps me. Today I am reading Job. What a story. Job is a righteous and honorable man. But Terrible things happen to Job. He loses his kids, his possessions, and his health. His wife tells him to curse God and die (thanks honey!). And his three friends visit to give long and drawn out “comforts” to him telling him basically “you must have done something wrong”. They tell him that God will only bless the good person and that his great misfortune must be because he has been a sinner. Sound familiar? This of course was not true. He was a righteous and good man. But Satan had challenged God to let him test Job to see if he would remain faithful. Job complains bitterly but does not sin against God. When God finally answers Job – here is some of what he says. “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements – surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” God goes on in chapters 38-41 and assures Job that he is a good man and that there are many things he does not know. God rebukes Job’s friends who wrongfully accused him of his guilt and that it was all his fault and He blesses Job in the end twice as much as he lost. The story tells us it acceptable to complain to our great God about our pain and suffering, that it is most likely not your fault, and that God really cares and knows all about it. As someone once said “I will not curse my God over a mystery”. Be encouraged. God is good even when life isn’t.
