Crash

How angry would you be with God if everything in your life went bad?

There was once a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. That man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil. There were born to him seven sons and three daughters. He had seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred donkeys, and very many servants; so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the east. His sons used to go and hold feasts in one another's houses in turn; and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. And when the feast days had run their course, Job would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all; for Job said, "It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts." This is what Job always did. One day the heavenly beings came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. The Lord said to Satan, "Where have you come from?" Satan answered the Lord, "From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it." The Lord said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man who fears God and turns away from evil." Then Satan answered the Lord, "Does Job fear God for nothing? Have you not put a fence around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your hand now, and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face." The Lord said to Satan, "Very well, all that he has is in your power; only do not stretch out your hand against him!" So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord. One day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in the eldest brother's house, a messenger came to Job and said, "The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were feeding beside them, and the Sabeans fell on them and carried them off, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword; I alone have escaped to tell you." While he was still speaking, another came and said, "The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them; I alone have escaped to tell you." While he was still speaking, another came and said, "The Chaldeans formed three columns, made a raid on the camels and carried them off, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword; I alone have escaped to tell you." While he was still speaking, another came and said, "Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house, and suddenly a great wind came across the desert, struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people, and they are dead; I alone have escaped to tell you." Then Job arose, tore his robe, shaved his head, and fell on the ground and worshiped. He said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there; the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong-doing. - Job 1:1-22

The story of Job is one we can all relate to, because no matter how good our lives are, we can imagine a day when everything goes wrong, when our lives come crashing down around us, and there is nothing we can do about it.

But Job is also a story about the other guy, the one we envy who has everything.  How many times have we wondered if that guy would be so happy with God if he lost everything?

Sure, you are at peace with God now, but what if?

What if everything turned sour all at once?  Would he still be the same person?

We can get caught up in the way the story's premise is laid out and focus on the bargain between God and Satan and we might miss the subtleties of what Job represents for all of us.

Sure, he is a wealthy man who believes he is right with God.  But he has doubts about his children.  They are too comfortable, too distant, uninterested in God and faith.

So, we get the impression that all may not be right with this man, even though by appearances, he has it made.  He is the epitome of what we all strive for, prosperity, security, contentment.

But what if we lose it all?

What if the world chooses to test our resolve, our fortitude, our strength?

Job's world falls apart piece by piece.  With each devastating blow, he is hammered a little more, until he cannot take it anymore and wants to die.

I know someone who is going through his own version of this now and it is extremely hard for him to stay positive about the future.

What else could go wrong? he asks.  And I can hear the pain in his voice when he speaks.

For those of us who have it all together, even if we don't have much, it is hard to imagine what it is like to have the world crumble around us.  We witness in fear what could happen to us and we shudder at the thought.

How will I react if and when it does?

The story of Job's crash is important for us.  We need to know this is all temporary, both the good and the bad.  And it is unbearable if we attempt to tackle it alone.

If we are the ones whose world is crashing, we need others to help us.  And if they are the ones affected, they need us.

God comes to us through others.

Job reminds us we need each other.

More to come...