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...Then [Job] fell to the
ground in worship and said: 'Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked
I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of
the Lord be praised.' -Job 1:20-21
God screens the trials that
come to each of us - allowing only those that accomplish his plan, because
he takes no joy in human agony (Lamentations 3:33). These trials are not
evenly distributed from person-to-person; this can discourage us, for we
are only able to see through a glass darkly, we are not privy to his
reasons. But we can take heart that every trial is ordained by God from
eternity past, custom-made for each believer's eternal good, even when it
doesn't seem like it. Nothing happens by accident... not even tragedy...
not even sins committed against us.
The core of God's plan is to
rescue us from our sin. Our pain, poverty and broken hearts are not his
ultimate focus. He cares about them, but they are merely symptoms of the
real problem. God cares most - not about making us comfortable - but about
teaching us to hate our sins, grow up spiritually, and love him. To do
this, he gives us salvation's benefits only gradually. In
other words, he lets us continue to feel much of sin's sting while we are
headed for heaven. This constantly reminds us of what we are being
delivered from, exposing sin for the poison it is. Thus evil
(suffering) is turned on its head to defeat evil (sin) - all to the praise
of God's wisdom.
The proper response to God's
wisdom in screening our trials and allowing particular ones - sometimes
tragic ones - to touch our lives? "May the name of the Lord be
praised," says Job in today's verse. Think of a specific heartache you
are facing. Will you follow Job in his response?
Almighty God, may I not
'waste' my sufferings today, but see in my response to them any sin of
resentment, complaint, or bitterness that needs to be confessed. I praise
you for your wisdom.
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