The Old Testament Book of Job is a fascinating, if not confusing, read. The gist of the story is this- God and the Devil are having a chat about Job (pronounced “Jobe”) when the devil says that he thinks Job is only being true to God because God has blessed him. He says that, if God were to take away Job’s blessing, Job would drop Him like a hot rock!
So the devil and God enter into a…wager, if you will…to see just what Job will do. God then let’s a LOT of bad stuff happen to Job. And yet, through it all, Job remains steadfast. Oh, he asks some questions along the way and voices some…displeasure…but he does not turn from God.
First off, let me say that, for my money, this book is more of a metaphor than a literal story. Did it actually happen? “Quien sabe?”, as the Spanish say! But whether it did or not, what it has to tell ME is more metaphoric than literal.
I have been thinking about Job for the past 24 hours or so. An old friend of mine (we share a birthday and we were in a band together…he’s a good bass player!) recently Facebooked (Don’t you LOVE how that has become a verb?!) me and said that reading my blog daily is like reading the Book of Job! Now I will say right up front- for him, that was intended as humor! And for me…it WAS humor! He and I have that kind of relationship. We don’t communicate all that often, but when we do, the sarcastic humor is right there, ready and waiting…and appreciated!
His comment, although provided as humor, has made me think about my life over the past year+. And frankly, a person could make the argument that I HAVE lived a “Job-like” life during that time. It has been one trial after another tribulation all along the way. The initial news was an absolute bombshell…and the hits just kept on coming. The tumor was large. It was not like anything anybody had seen before. (If you remember, I am only the 19th person ever to have this type of tumor!) It was really hard to find a medical professional who was willing to take a stab at treating me. The drug therapies that were tried A. didn’t work and B. had a pretty profound negative effect on me. I have completely lost the hearing in my right ear. I lost almost all of the movement in the right side of my face. I have already had 2 surgeries: one where they took my right ear off, dug some “stuff” out of my head and then sewed my ear back on and 2. One where they opened my head like a melon, took a LOT of “stuff” out, patched it all up with titanium and then sewed me back up. I was off work for 6 weeks. Blah, blah, blah! Could
Now, I could easily look at that list and think, “Woe is me!” I could go all Job-like and think that God has punished me for something I did. I could assume that God has abandoned me or that He simply doesn’t care. Those would ALL be responses that most of us would at least understand, if not agree with.
But I simply don’t have a gear to understand God as CAUSING my physical challenges. Doesn’t work for me. They happened because I live in a fallen world. They happened because I am a human with a marvelously frail and finite body. Could God have STOPPED it from happening? Sure- God can do anything? Then why DIDN’T He? Haven’t the foggiest! But I DO know that He has walked this journey with me. I DO know that He has taught me SO much…about myself, about life, about faith…through this. And I DO know that life on this planet, no matter how long or short it is, is but a precursor to a promised eternity with Him.
So Bill T. Bassplayer (NOT his real name, but what he call him at MY house!), you have hit the nail on the head, my friend! My life IS like Job’s…in the sense that, even in the midst of difficulty and uncertainty, I simply REFUSE to give up or turn my back on Him. Thanks for the reminder!
Thanks for stopping by- I pray you have a blessed day! Please make sure and come back again tomorrow, and stick with Jesus!
Tomorrow- Cheerwine!
Stick With Jesus 