Deluded by the Wisdom of the Day

Life is painfully miserable for Job, and he has no idea why. Our natural response to anything unwelcome is to ask why. Why this? Why me? Why now?

My mother suffered from Alzheimer's disease, and her agonizing questions were always a variation of “What have I done to deserve this? Why is God punishing me?“

Aren’t we prone to ask the same questions whenever we face difficulties?

We think that If we have done something to merit this, then we can do something to fix it. That keeps us believing we’re in control and the solution is within our power.

Sometimes that’s very true - but the story of Job reminds us that it is not always true.

Job’s friends, however, were certain that they knew why he suffered. They believed the evidence spoke for itself. Job is suffering; therefore, he must have sinned. Eliphaz is the first to share his insight, but it was really the common belief of the age: God rewards the righteous with long life and punishes the sinner with trouble.

That concept of God as a scorekeeper has survived the centuries and is still prevalent today. Many people still live according to the belief that if they live right, they will be guaranteed success, health, or whatever their heart desires. That seems to work for us as long as things are going well, but when life falls apart - we lose our health or money, our children rebel, we get cancer or Alzheimer's disease or we face any one of a multitude of unwelcome circumstances - we discover how deluded we have been.

It’s dangerous to think that it’s within our power to ensure that only good things happen.

This wasn’t the case for Job. Nor is it true for us.

Respond in Prayer

O God of all wisdom, deliver me from the delusion that I am in control and from the temptation to think that I should have answers for anyone’s suffering. Let me instead simply embrace those who suffer with your love. Amen.

Lynn Smith