Job 29-31

Today I was dying to continue reading past chapter 31.  I'm just gagging for the part where Job gets God's biggest blessings (oh, um... spoiler alert) and is happy again!  I can only imagine what the Father must have been going through during Job's suffering.  To know Job's heart and his innocence and love him like, well, a son; and to hear him cry out for help, to know he feels as though his Lord has thrown him "into the mud" (v. 19)... I mean the only one suffering more than Job here is God. 

I had no idea how draining it would be to punish my kids.  A person just doesn't really think about that when cuddling a tiny little bundle.  But holy moly.  When I have to punish them and listen to the crying and breaking hearts and the "I thought you loved me!" stuff?  No.  In those moments I'd happily trade Job his feverish body*.  And I'm just me with a shallow kiddie pool of emotional capability compared to God.  No doubt the Lord was outside Job's bedroom (although probably not pink and purple like my girls') listening to him wail, so desiring to just make his sadness disappear, but knowing they aren't there just quiiiiiiiite yet.

Again, I'm dying to continue reading.  I can't wait for our hero to get some relief.  Of course, with the blessings God has in store for him he's got much more than relief coming his way. 




*But just the fever.  He can keep is peeling skin and sores and destitution.  Let's be honest here.



 

Job 17-20

In my house, at dinner, we take turns saying what our favorite and least favorite parts of the day were.  Today my daughters couldn't come up with a least favorite, and I explained the worst part of my day was forgetting to take my darks out of the dryer so they were wrinklier than I like.  Let's be clear here: the worst part of my day was a couple of wrinkled shirts and socks.

Obviously, I cannot identify with Job's level of despair.

But it really has me thinking about the root of this story.  Satan mentions to God that it's easy for a human whose life is a cakewalk to be godly.  Job is confused by the torment raining down on him, but never waivers in his love for his Creator.  Impressive.  Scary.  I know the day may come when I'm tested and I want to be prepared.  I want to stock up on faith the way a doomsday prepper stocks up on Spam.  I want to prepare by hoarding Scripture in my memory banks and ensuring communication lines with Jesus are open and ready.  I want the church to be my comrade and my ammo to be hope.  I want to remember Job and his loyalty to God even as his heart was broken: "I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth." (19:25)