By William R. Bouknight
God knew that we would suffer grief and have questions about it. So he caused to be placed in our Bible the marvelous book of Job. In that inspired story, God and Satan have a conversation. They agree that the most righteous man on earth is Job. But Satan says to God, "No wonder Job is righteous. You have blessed him so bountifully, with health, family, and wealth. If you dare to remove all those blessings, he would denounce you." "You're wrong," said God. "Job loves and trusts me simply because of who I am, not because of the blessings he has received."
Satan said in effect, "Put your money where your mouth is. We will find out what Job is made of."
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God's protection was withdrawn from Job. In a matter of days he lost his children, his possessions, and his health.
Three friends came to Job. The best thing they did was to sit with him silently for seven days. Once they began speaking, they gave Job more grief than help. They were convinced that Job's misfortunes had a rational explanation, that it was a just punishment for some sin he had committed.
Though Job was convinced they were wrong, he was unable to find a suitable alternative answer. Often you hear about "the patience of Job," but the fact is that Job did not have lots of patience. He fussed and fumed with God constantly, but he did not reject God.
Finally, in chapter 40, we have the climax of the book. God visits Job personally. He gives Job a glimpse of His incredible power and his flawless character. But he does not give Job an answer or an explanation. After meeting God personally, Job no longer needs an answer.
If you know that God is good and loving and if you are in personal relationship with him, you can live with unanswered questions and cope with any loss.
Now, in the light of Job’s story and the total biblical witness, let me offer a four-part recipe for grieving people.
Remember that life is not fair but God is good Dr. Robert Schuller has a book by that title, and it’s certainly true. If this world were not marred by sin, it would be fair. But sin has cast a shadow over this world and only the light of eternity will finally abolish it.
Job’s big problem was that he thought life ought to be fair. When life broke his heart he couldn’t understand why, since he knew that God was good.
A Christian is not ready to graduate from spiritual kindergarten until he or she has learned that life is a strange mixture of good and evil, danger and delight, tragedy and triumph.
God is good, but God does not control everything that happens in this free, sin-marred world. If God did assert control over everything, the world would not be free. Many events in our world break God’s heart. Do you remember how Jesus wept when his friend Lazarus died?