[Job's] wife said to him, "Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!"
Before we go into what's obviously wrong with Job's wife's outburst, I think we need to look at where she is coming from. This poor woman has not only lost all of her possessions and financial security, but every single one of her children has died. I cannot fathom losing even one of my daughters. If I were Job's wife, I would curl up into a ball and sob until I had no tears left. I most likely would find myself questioning where God was when the house the children were in collapsed. I would ask Him why He didn't stop it. I would ache and lash out and feel completely and utterly empty. I cannot imagine her pain. And I do think that sometimes in the midst of trials like this, instead of drawing strength from our husbands we rail against them. "How on earth can you be holding it together? Don't you care? Why aren't you falling to pieces like I am?" She must have felt incredibly alone.
But Job, in the midst of his grief, turned to God. I'm reminded of something Mary Beth Chapman said after the terrible car accident that took her young daughter, "I was in a freefall, and all I knew for sure was that at some point I was going to land in the hands of God." (it may be slightly paraphrased) Job could not see God's hands, but he had to hold on to what he knew - that God is God, and we are not. He tells his wife, "You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" (v. 10)
When tragedy strikes, don't blame God. Lean on Him. Trust in Him. And let your pain draw you closer to your husband, not further away. You are his helpmate, his co-warrior, his ezer.
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