What do we do when everything hurts? Generally, we call on our best coping skills, remind ourselves that things could be worse, and soldier on. That works until things get worse. At that point, we tend to set our optimism aside, and imagine that someone or something must be to blame. After all, we can’t think of anything we’ve done. We stew about that until things happen that insurance can’t cover, time can’t fix, and the darkness hovers. Feeling like Job, we begin to call on God, trying to find Him, hoping He’ll show up, wondering if He even sees the mess we’re in. It seems never-ending, even hopeless.
One thing we know from the Job story is that despite the suffering, the losses, and the unbelievable judgments of his friends, he couldn’t bring himself to give up. He wouldn’t give up on the one source of help and answered prayer that he had depended on his whole life. It was hard. It was ugly, but he just wouldn’t throw God under the bus.
When everything hurts in our lives, we may wonder how Job could hang in there for so long. How did he manage to not betray his belief in God? I can only think of one response to that question. Job had a relationship with God that was unshakable. He trusted God to be God, no matter how things looked in his life. He believed that God was still in control, and it appears that his strong belief, built on a long-time relationship, made all the difference.
God responded to His friend, Job, and restored his life in every way. Perhaps the greatest gift Job received from God’s bounty, was the assurance that he had been right all along, that nothing had changed. Even in the midst of catastrophe, God was with him, knew him, and rescued him.
We all hurt when people suffer enormous losses through hurricanes and natural disasters, and it may make us question where God is when we’re between a rock and a hard place. The answer is the same for us as it was for Job. He is in the midst of every prayer, every broken heart, and every need. Keep working on your relationship with Him until the light dawns and gives you peace.