I think it would be easier if I would have just remained ignorant. Life is easier that way.
Its harder to sleep at night knowing that there are 27 million slaves in the world.
Its harder to wake up on Sunday morning and find out that the Kentucky Wildcats pulled ahead and beat the Bulldogs after I went to bed.
Its harder to love after knowing a wound so deep.
It would be easier to remain ignorant. But that would be foolish, wouldn’t it.
And a lot of times, I feel that reading Scripture complicates life, rather than simplifies. Take the book of Job for instance. Life would be simpler had I not read the book of Job.
To surmise, Satan makes a wager with God. Satan claims that Job only worships God for what God has done for Job. God suggests otherwise. God allows Satan to strip Job of all blessings to see where Job’s worship rests.
Job suffered.
Job suffered more than I could ever imagine.
Job suffered because his faith in God mattered to God. For no other reason than it mattered to God.
He didn’t deserve to lose his children.
He had no great sin that ruined his financial enterprise.
Simply put, Job’s misery mattered to God.
It would be easier for me to allow you to remain ignorant. But that would be foolish, wouldn’t it. I want you to know that your suffering, your faith, matters to God.
My suffering matters to God.
In the end, Job is restored. God healed Job. But that wasn’t the point of the wager. God and Satan wanted to see if Job would worship God even if Job was never restored. Would you worship God if your suffering never ended? Would I?
That question hurts, doesn’t it? It hurts like a scalpel. Cutting deep. But this deep cut is for healing purposes.
What would it take to make today’s ‘No’ become tomorrow’s ‘Yes’?
i enjoyed today's blog. you really gave a lot of depth to the issue of unending faith in God. What if no matter what, we would never receive any relief from our pain/suffering/whatever? What if every prayer to God was answered like an 800 number for some government agency: "Please be patient. Your prayer is import to me and will be answered in the order in which it was received, or in the time that I see is best for you." What IS best for us?!? Answer: We have absolutely no idea! THAT is the kicker. THAT is the point in the issue of faith that trips up so many believers and non-believers alike. How can we wait like Job when everything is going to pot around us? How can we have the faith to keep going when we don't know WHEN the suffering will end? Would you serve God if you knew that there would never EVER be a reprieve from your suffering? wow. I want to be the person who says, "yes. no matter what happens, I will follow God and trust in him even though I don't know what tomorrow will bring."
ReplyDeletethanks as always chris for making me think.