In scripture there is the story of a man named Job. He had great wealth and was devoted to God and his family. He prayed daily for his children. One day a violent storm tore through the area where Job and his family lived. His children, seven boys and three girls, were killed; everything in the path of the storm was destroyed. Gangs of thieves striped Job of his wealth. Job mourned deeply for his children, but he did not deny God. A short while later, he was stricken with a disease that gave him sores that oozed pus and foul-smelling liquid. The itching tormented him so that he scratched his sores with broken pottery. His wife soon at her wits end in grief gave up in utter despair and disgust and vehemently screamed at her husband, “Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!”
Three close friends came to see about Job. When they saw his sickness and the devastation surrounding him, they were shocked and immediately sat in mourning with him. For seven days and seven nights they sat in agonizing grief and silence with their friend.
On the eighth day, Job broke the silence with passionate words of regret that he was ever conceived and wailing against the day he was born. His friends responded with a lot of words about remembering what he had told others when they were in trouble. His children must have sinned; he must have sinned. God did not do evil. They recited the expected words told to troubled persons, because they had no answers for the suffering of their friend.
But Job had questions for God. Job wanted some answers. He wanted to pose questions to God and demand that God answer them. He wanted a one-on-one, Q & A with God. Job blasted his friends for all their talk. They were infuriated by his rebuke of their words which they had shared to give him direction, comfort, and strength. Job complained that the evil people got away with their wrong doings, but he did good and wound up in tribulation. With righteous wrath, Job protested God’s failure to explain the troubles in his life. But Job never denied or walked away from God.
Then God spoke with soul-riveting power from of the quiet center of the storm and said, Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge? Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me.” The divine questions gave a revelation of God that humbled Job.
In all his questions to Job, God never shared the reasons for all the catastrophes had happened to him; however, the holy inquiries gave Job a deeper understanding of God.
We continue in prayer with and for the families who lost loved ones in the Fairmount Fire on Wednesday, January 5, 2022.
Reflections
Read the Book of Job in the Bible, particularly, God’s questions to Job (chapter 38:1-41:34) and the restoration of Job (chapter 42:1-17)
Dorothy Watson Tatem, D.Min., ACC
Senior Associate
Next Step Associates, LLC
Cassandra W. Jones, Ed.D.
President & CEO
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