Meet My Friend!

Yesterday our guest speaker, Pastor Oliver, spoke on the experience of the disciple Thomas as recorded in John 20:24-28. I thought it might be an interesting parallel if we each spent some time today thinking of Biblical figures that we would be able to speak of as a friend, encouragement, inspiration, et cetera. If you have the time and inclination, you might want to even write out your reflections on whose stories resonate with you and why.

So, in light of Pastor Oliver's reflections on his friend Thomas, the disciple who doubted, I'd like to take a detour from the usual blog format and share reflections with you today about my friend Job.

Yes, bad things happen to good people. As the scripture says, rain falls on the righteous and the unrighteous. There is not always an easily definable pattern of cause and effect: we can think of Job and his perspective on the calamities that he experienced. Job was not privy to the heavenly dialogue that preceded the destruction of his family and livelihood (see Job chapter 1), and so from Job's perspective there may have been confusion and cognitive dissonance in seeing his lifestyle of humility and contrition "rewarded" with economic and familial disaster.

There is a challenge in whether we can say “God causes...” or “God allows...”. In a case like Job's I am inclined to say that God caused his experience, because it was God who pointed out Job to Satan (Have you considered my servant Job?). What can I say to that? Lord, how I want to stay in the background, but You have not called me to the background- sometimes people have to see how I respond in a crisis, how I worship You in the midst of a struggle, how I come back to You after falling into error....

Through the process, though, God has a way of showing up that makes it worth the crisis and the struggles that come our way. I believe He is glorified and greatly pleased when we as His children react in kindness and love when we have been bombarded with adversities. My prayer is that, when these situations occur, we as children of God will be aware and awake to recognize the hand of God in the midst of our struggle.