Job 37:1-39:30
2 Corinthians 4:13-5:10
Psalm 44:9-26
Proverbs 22:13
My parents will tell you that when I was a kid, obedience was NOT my strength; in fact, if disobedience was an Olympic event, I would have been on the podium while everyone listened to the Philippine national anthem. Bad enough I didn't follow, but often when I did obey, acquiescence was predicated on agreement and approval. Needless to say, my approach was cause for much pain - theirs, mine, and others. With the 20/20 hindsight of some 40+ years, the sad thing I find is this: they knew what they were talking about, they were right, I was in no position to evaluate neither their qualifications nor their opinion, and I would have been much better off had I trusted and obeyed them, agreement not required.
Job was trying to walk a fine line (anyone here have kids that HAVEN'T tried to do that?) - declare God's supremacy, while demanding an explanation. God finally answers him, by reminding Job who He is, and what He has done. He is awesome and omnipotent, His plans are right though we may not see the how or the why.
We enjoy the benefit of 20/20 Biblical hindsight and foresight. How then should we respond when faced with Job-ian hardship? Perhaps first, a reminder: of who He is (Job 38 is a great start), of what He has done and what He has promised (2 Corinthians 4:14). Then, however painful our circumstances, we can take comfort in 2 Corinthians 4:16-5:1. We affirm that though "outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day." And "our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all."
It isn't easy to do this in the midst of the challenges we face. Father, today, teach us to learn from Job and Paul, and take the first steps to build the habit thats will give us hope amidst our hardship.
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