Thursday, August 22

THURSDAY, AUGUST 22, 2013

Job 4:1–7:21

1 Corinthians 14:18–40

Psalm 37:30–40

Proverbs 21:27

 

 

While Job has limited opportunity to share his heart in Job 3, cursing the day of his birth, Eliphaz the Temanite and the other friends interject into Job’s situation with frequency over the coming 30-some chapters.

 

At the outset, we read that Job’s friends did intend to stand with their friend:  “When Job’s three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite, heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him.  When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him; they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads.  Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights.  No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was.” (2:11–13)

 

Initially, in this humble attitude, the friends approached Job to bring comfort through their presence.  The friends elected to sit “on the ground with” Job rather than to take an elevated position of physical or moral superiority.  Their posture reflected a genuine and loving concern for their friend, and their silence matched the gravity of Job’s deserved despair.

 

As we reflect on comforting others as ministers of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:13–21), we understand from Paul that our trials ultimately prepare us to serve others:  “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.  For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.  If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer.  And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.” (2 Corinthians 1:3–7)

 

This passage and our own life experience suggests that God does not waste crises; rather, each challenge that we face better enables us to treasure the Lord Jesus Christ and to serve His people.  Even in adversity, we recognize that God’s will remains steadfast:  to magnify His glory and further the good of His people (Romans 8:28,29).  Specifically, our “good” involves becoming more fitted into the likeness of the Lord Jesus Christ.  And, broadly speaking, this Book of Job highlights the value of our faith to demonstrate God’s goodness and beauty.

 

From Chapter 4 onward, however, the friends become intent on pointing out the likelihood that Job had sinned, which triggered his palpable misfortune.  Their theology simply argued:  only flagrant sinners receive God’s punishment.  Given the glimpse into the spiritual realms in Chapters 1 and 2, however, we grasp that cosmic warfare means that God’s people may indeed face unwarranted attacks.

 

Practically speaking, we may take away several lessons:

 

1.       Be careful to distinguish between descriptive and prescriptive reactions to others’ adversity.  As problem-solvers, we may wish to provide solutions immediately when faced with another’s challenges.  Yet, we must exercise gracious sensitivity to determine when to simply listen, when to provide observations, and when to propose steps for change.  Those who are suffering often value the opportunity to describe their challenges rather than to have others rushing to define as a third party.

 

2.       Questions and invitations often trump statements.  Much of ministry involves eliciting stories for others and relating to their situations.  Throughout Jesus’s ministry, we find Him posing core-cutting questions and inviting others to experience His presence.  Those who wish to domineer issue edicts, while servant-leaders appear ready to draw others out.

 

3.       Trust and time often come together in a perseverant adversity strategy.  Trust involves an exertion of our wills – a choice – to turn to God and embrace His wisdom over the long haul.  Whose voice will you choose to hear in these moments?  How may you support others in that daily battle to trust and obey?  You may find “The Voice of Truth” by Casting Crowns encouraging in this battle (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YgfiaLk0kE).

 

 

You may have followed the news regarding an intercepted school shooting in Decatur, Ga., on Tuesday.  School bookkeeper Antoinette Tuff engaged the would-be massacre agent not with violence, but with vulnerability.  She revealed her brokenness and spoke with firmness and faith into the troubled young man’s life.  She leaned upon God and received miraculous calm in this tense situation.  As a result, the 870 elementary school students at the Ronald E. McNair Discovery Learning Academy safely evacuated the building.  This hero walked alongside the broken in order to bring reconciliation and grace.  Praise God for the wisdom He provided to Ms. Tuff and for the safety of these dear children!

________________________________________
1) Blog:                  http://bit.ly/rV1Cw1

2) Facebook:        http://on.fb.me/tc6jkS