But Job replied, “You talk like a foolish woman. Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?” So in all this, Job said nothing wrong. Job 2:10
One thing I have discovered as I spend more and more time with my nephew and niece is that when something goes wrong, it is human nature to look for someone to blame. Even when you are 2 or 4 years old, it is easy to blame a sibling, parent, or another outside source for things that go wrong. It is not just kids who look for things or people to blame. We adults also tend to blame others as well. When life throws us curveballs and presents hard times, even tragedies, we often want to look for something or someone to blame. The truth is, this search for blame often leads to bitterness and futility. We live in a fallen world that was corrupted by sin, and as long as we live in this world we will face pain and trials. Instead of looking for someone to blame for our pain and heartache, the Bible invites us to look to God, who brings peace and comfort.
Job was surrounded by people who looked for someone or something to blame for his pain throughout the book of Job. Whether it was his actions or God Himself, Job's friends and wife consistently called him to find someone to blame. Despite these things, Job refused to fall into the temptation of looking for someone to blame. In fact, when his wife called him to curse God for the suffering he had faced, Job responded, “Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?” (verse 10). Job understood that cursing God, or trying to look for other sources of blame, was not the right approach. Instead, he turned to God, understanding that life was more than his comfort and peace. He understood that during life on this earth, we will face pain, and throughout his pain, he turned toward God rather than away from Him.
The incredible thing that happens when we turn to God in our pain is that, while we may not find answers as to why we face what we are facing, we will find something even better: comfort. 2 Corinthians 1:3 tells us that God is "the source of all comfort." God gives us comfort amidst our deepest trials and pain. He walks us through everything we face. We may not have all the answers, but we can be confident that God will see us through.
What about you? In the situation you are facing today, are you looking for someone to blame, or are you turning to God in your pain, trusting His power and sovereignty? When we turn to God, He will bring comfort and peace, and He will be with us through it all.
Spend some time now talking to God and praying. Acknowledge your need for Him. Tell Him that you need His kindness. Thank Him for the kindness that He makes readily available to every person who turns to Him.
Read Job 2:1-13 (NLT)
One day the members of the heavenly court came again to present themselves before the Lord, and the Accuser, Satan, came with them. “Where have you come from?” the Lord asked Satan.
Satan answered the Lord, “I have been patrolling the earth, watching everything that’s going on.”
Then the Lord asked Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil. And he has maintained his integrity, even though you urged me to harm him without cause.”
Satan replied to the Lord, “Skin for skin! A man will give up everything he has to save his life. But reach out and take away his health, and he will surely curse you to your face!”
“All right, do with him as you please,” the Lord said to Satan. “But spare his life.” So Satan left the Lord’s presence, and he struck Job with terrible boils from head to foot.
Job scraped his skin with a piece of broken pottery as he sat among the ashes. His wife said to him, “Are you still trying to maintain your integrity? Curse God and die.”
But Job replied, “You talk like a foolish woman. Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?” So in all this, Job said nothing wrong.
When three of Job’s friends heard of the tragedy he had suffered, they got together and traveled from their homes to comfort and console him. Their names were Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. When they saw Job from a distance, they scarcely recognized him. Wailing loudly, they tore their robes and threw dust into the air over their heads to show their grief. Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and nights. No one said a word to Job, for they saw that his suffering was too great for words.
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