Job 9:1-3. “The Job answered and said, I know it is so of a truth: but how should man be just before God? If he will contend with him, he cannot answer him one of a thousand.” IMPATIENCE. Eyes looking here and there, seeking movement – but there is none Sighs escape, at first unnoticed - then rapidly increasing The movement of the head increases - then the body turns Hands clench, fingers entwine- then loosen and twist again tighter
Struggling against escape, words rise from within - harsh words But remain behind closed doors – hopefully controlled but temporarily Face line and brow lines deepen and the eyes squint against no light Body language shouts to be released – and loudly complain
Tribulation continues its steady, implacable work Coming from opposition; coming from the forces of nature Coming from the measured steps of daily living Coming from differences of opinion and unchanging habit
Why doesn’t tribulation leave? Why prolong this terrible test? What is to be gained by the slowness of this event? And patience is tested from all directions and in many ways Lessons are to be learned that affect body, and soul and spirit
Until the wholeness of the person; the whole being is synchronized There must remain the process; not just change without But from within where it is real and unaffected Reality shows itself in a calmness; a life now measured and reliable
Only then can the Divine Instructor move on to teach us further Move on to other lessons; learned now by experience By outward expressions of a change that has been truly learned Through the chosen process step by step – patience follows tribulation
As experience takes its time to produce the lasting effects The Teacher watches and teaches again and again the same things Unknown to the learner, the process goes on with subtle changes Experience takes more time than even tribulation, but the lessons are different
Still, patience has matured and as the seasons of life pass by Through divinely ordered stages, the brightness of hope appears And one looks back from the heights of tribulation and experience long climbed, and sees the joy And is not ashamed – and patience smiles and turns to find impatience gone.
“I believe I am learning, Father. The process does work just the way You intended. It is dark when I rise but it is light when I go forward in hope and faith, with joy and peace – both imparted by Thee. And I am ready to go forward or upward. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.”
His contention was that if God had a reason for what He was doing, then come out in the open and say so, so Job could know what was going down. As far as Job could see, the Potter who made him as a good creation is defacing what He made to be good. The life of a believer will hold many things and experiences that we will never understand. But in faith it is incumbent on us to accept that which God allows and give God the credit for doing that which is right according to His own divine will, whether we ever know the reason or not.
The hopeless situation in which Job was found would be right if he was being punished for his sins. But in Job's mind, even if he maintained righteousness God will punish him for arrogance, and will bring witnesses like his so-called comforters to bring charges against him. The friends thought Job could bring an end to his suffering by humility, and there is truth in that. But Job believed only God could make his suffering stop, so as things were, he just wanted to die. More than that he wished he had never been born.
We are limited in our knowledge and experiences in life, so it is wise for us to not jump to conclusions when there are things that happen to us that we do not understand. Wrong assumptions lead to wrong conclusions which in turn lead to wrong accusations that have lasting complications. Pessimism leads us to doubting God. We need to have all the facts before we jump to conclusions about life in general. We need to remember that God wants the best for us, and through us He shows His grace. People have endured great pain and suffering, and often find out later it was the best thing that could have happened bringing a greater good perhaps to many others. How many thousands of people have been helped by reading about the sufferings of Job!! We need to assume the best, not the worst, will come out of the difficulties we face in life.