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October 25, 2009

Job 42: 1-6, 10-17

Bad things happen to good people; Actually, bad things happen to everybody, but it is especially unfair and unjust when it happens to good people. Furthermore, it is even worse when bad things happen to good teenagers and young adults. We experience things for the first time (or first few times) and it feels like the weight of the world was just dropped on us. Things like the end of a romantic relationship, unemployment (or underemployment), dealing with unfair authority figures, the death or illness of a loved one, substance abuse, unsatisfactory performance in school, unwanted pregnancies, among many other issues can no doubt cause a lot of stress. It can also prompt the view that God has suddenly abandoned us, or at best lost interest in us. It can be hard to see the much-fabled "silver lining" when bad things happen to us. It certainly was that way for poor ol’ Job. But much can be learned from his story.

The Book of Job tells the story of a very devout man, Job, who has a very good life. Satan argues that Job is only a devout man because his life is so good. So God allows Satan to test Job’s faith by taking away all the good things in his life – his children, his health, and others. Job’s faith was indeed tested, and on top of that, he didn’t have particularly supportive friends. In fact, his buddy Eliphaz goes so far as to accuse Job of being an evil person, and God must be punishing Job for being a bad person. Job eventually becomes humble to God after listening to him in a storm, and God, therefore, blesses Job with more fortune than he had before.

We can take several lessons out of the Job’s story and apply it to our own lives. First of all, we are never abandoned by God. God may choose to test us from time-to-time, but he is always by our side to help us out. God never abandoned Job, and it was God that blessed Job with good fortune at the end of the story. In our own lives, we may often find ourselves wondering why God would ever test us with unfortunate and sometimes miserable circumstances. I would argue that God only wants to test us to make us stronger, more resilient to ill fortune. After all, it is true that what doesn’t kill us only makes us stronger.

It is also important to never accuse God of being unfair to us, but be humble and pray to him for strength. We can clearly see from the reading that God can bless us with good fortune in the face of dark times. Now, that is not to say that when bad things happen we should merely sit idly by and wait for God to fix things. We should take steps and do whatever is in our power to fix the situation, and we should take those steps with God’s help. When faced with a difficult situation, God truly has the power and willingness to help us move through the situation. But we must first ask for his help by speaking to him (i.e. praying). With God on your side, you will be able to accomplish a lot more in a difficult situation. For example, you may see a solution that you never thought of before. If nothing else, it would at least feel good to know that somebody is always on your side, much like God was for Job.

It is also important to remember what it means to be a good friend when somebody else is going through tough times. Many of Job’s friends were not supportive and accused him of being a bad person. It is important to remember that nobody is a bad person, unlike what some of Job’s friends thought of Job. Be supportive, encourage your friends to take steps towards making the situation better, and encourage them to pray for God for help. Just as with you, God is always listening and can bless you and your friends with a solution.