I Will Call on God

October 19, 2014 Background Scripture: Job 5, 24; Psalm 55:12 – 23 Lesson Passage: Job 24:1, 9 – 12, 19 – 25 While Job searched for answers to the great calamities that suddenly came upon him, his friends questioned Job’s character. Job spoke aloud the probing questions of his heart and his friends answered him with rebuke and false accusations. Job defended his dependence on God even in the face of unexplained calamity. If we required total understanding of God and His ways before we should trust Him, nobody would be saved. God’s thoughts are not our thoughts and neither are His ways our ways. This is evident when the least among us suffer at the hands of evil doers while it appears that God is indifferent to it. Widows might have their life support taken from them and orphans removed from the source of their sustenance. In spite of these things, we trust God because He has always been faithful to His word. Sometimes circumstances in life don’t add up. We feel victimized when we thought we would be appreciated or valued. Those are not reasons to give up on God but opportunities for our faith to grow. Somehow and some way we know that God will be justified in both His actions and apparent inactions. God knows all and He sees all. We only know in part and speak out of limited understanding. No one in his right mind would want to endure what Job went through regardless of the outcome. However, Job’s testimony gives us strength in our weakest moments. It’s easy to question God when life seems too cruel and challenging to us. If the loss of material goods doesn’t do it, then the death of a near relative or failing health will certainly challenge us to trust God in the face of a calamity we are totally unprepared for. There have been countless times when what appeared to be bad situations turned out for our best. Somehow that doesn’t prepare us for the next disaster. Instead, we are reminded of all of the reasons we don’t want to face such difficulties. We celebrate the deliverance of others and sometimes forget their unwavering childlike faith. It is enough to suffer through these times while having a private pity party. However, Job’s misery was made worse by having his friends there to constantly condemn his self-defense by thinly veiling their remarks as a defense of God’s character. Job argued with them that his innocence in the face of a tremendous burden of personal suffering was not at odds with God’s holiness. Even today, there are those who believe that personal suffering is evidence of a person receiving what they deserve. Again, Job’s testimony provides encouragement. Sometimes personal hardships are reminders to call upon the Lord more often than has been our practice. Jesus taught that men ought to always pray and not faint. In the midst of struggles, we don’t look for specific times to pray nor do we concern ourselves about whether we are praying too long. Our personal standards concerning prayer are elevated in desperate times. Job’s record was that he prayed on a regular basis for his children and for himself. When troubles came, Job did not have to learn how to pray, instead, he continued to do what he was already doing. Even when he was seeking answers, Job seems to have made up his mind: “I will call on God.” Robert C. Hudson October 9, 2014