Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Job 11-13 & Matthew 9:18-38.
One of my favourite verses in the entire Bible is in today's passage. Job 13:15a ~ "Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him;"
Job's friends have been arguing that he must have committed some sin in order for these things to have happened to him. Job is vehemently maintaining his position that he has done nothing to deserve such dire consequences. He says he will defend his case to God himself, if only God will allow him a hearing. I marvel a little at the strength of his conviction. I think, myself, that I would be wondering, "Did I? Is there something I've done besides being a weak and unworthy human creature, undeserving of God's love or mercy? Could it be that I'm being punished for something that I did?" I can be a big second-guesser sometimes.
There are times where the things that happen in our lives are consequences of decisions we've made, or sinful attitudes or behaviours we've allowed into our lives. But that is not always the case. Sometimes things happen that have no "action-and-reaction" sequence to point out the reasons why. We may find out why later, or we may not. But as Christians, I believe that we must have faith that God knows what he's doing, is in control, and will not allow our suffering to be in vain. Whether we learn from it ourselves, or those around us learn from it by watching us go through it, or even come to know Christ by seeing our Christian response to a situation in which human nature would dictate differently, God will not allow our suffering to be in vain. I think in particular of the parents of Candace Derksen, a 13-year-old girl who was murdered in Winnipeg in 1985. (The case remained unsolved, with an arrest finally being made in 2007, and trial of the case actually begins next week.) Candace's mother, Wilma, wrote a book called Have You Seen Candace? which I read a number of years ago. I don't remember many of the details, but I do remember that, even though they would never see their daughter again, even though her life ended so tragically at such a young age, even though they didn't know who had done this, they forgave.
"Candace left a vacuum in our lives that demanded to be filled. The Old Testament justice that demands a life for a life is inadequate in the long run," said Wilma. "The New Testament shows that if we were always to act on the bare bones of justice, everyone would be missing their eyes and teeth."
And I can't tell you how much that impacted me when I read that book. It's had an impact on many people. Wilma has worked with Child Find and several different groups involved with helping families of missing or murdered children and spoken at seminars. I can't imagine that her story could fail to impact people. The terrible suffering that her family went through has become a positive message for many. (For a very condensed version of the story, see Third Way Cafe - Have You Seen Candace? from which the above excerpt is taken.)
That doesn't mean we don't ever mourn or despair. Like Job, we may even wish that we'd never been born, since we would then have avoided whatever pain or suffering we are currently undergoing. Knowing that there is a purpose doesn't take the pain away, but it can bring comfort and perhaps give a little extra strength to get through. Unfortunately for Job, he feels abandoned by God as well. He feels as though he's going through this alone, with his friends mocking him all around, and God isn't there to comfort him. We know that God will be with us through any situation. He's promised never to leave us or forsake us, and he always keeps his promises. We may sometimes feel alone or abandoned, but God is always there and will always give us what we need to get through. Those who participated last year may remember one of the NT blog posts that said that while God may very well give us more than we can bear on our own (contrary to common misquoting or misinterpretation of that verse), he will always help us to bear up under it and give us the resources we need to get through.
Have a great day!
**Sorry, everybody, I scheduled this to post during the night and then made a change to it and it messed it up.
Tomorrow's passage: Job 14-16 & Matthew 10:1-20.
4 comments:
Great post Miriam!
That's one of my favourite verses too.
Choosing to trust and hope in Him despite our circumstances. Knowing it's not in vain and not without reason, even if we don't know what that purpose is.
Very encouraging! Sometimes, like Job, it feels like we are very alone, but that is not true. God is ALWAYS there and he works for the good of those who love him!
Interesting what you had to say about OT justice not being adequate. That strikes a chord with me, big time, and I go through several things in life that make me want to shout to the Heavens...GOD! It's not FAIR! Punish them! But these people could not be punished enough to satisfy me as a human who has also failed.
Only Jesus' sacrifice was/is enough to fill that need.
I heard Wilma Derksen at a Women's Ministry event years ago and read her book as well. She focused on what God had done with and through the situation. Even the fact that she was now a public speaker she said it was by God's help that she had become who she is today. I'm sure that there were times that they must have questioned why God would have allowed them to endure such an unfathomable pain, just like Job did, but being able to move through it and then look back does sometimes give a clearer picture. (But, not always!)
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