The Danger of Simplistic Responses

I started reading Job this morning. Job lived with integrity and was blameless, but still suffered great loss. At first, God allowed the Evil One to touch Job's family & possessions, but Job still didn't blame God for this. Then the Evil One touched Job's health, which God also allowed.

Certainly this can be disturbing, especially when reading from a Western, science focused, middle-to-upper class background. For we tend to feel that we control our own destinies. We're "self-made" men. Even in the Western Church, there can be this tendency.

We feel that if we do the right things, we will succeed. Sometimes we credit God for this & sometimes we don't. Even in ministry, this tendency can yield its head. If we follow this or that technique, then we'll have a fast-growing, large, "successful" church, ministry, group, etc.

Certainly we need to be wise and discern our times, like the men of Issachar in the Old Testament. We need to meditate on Proverbs and try to live by its principles. In general, people, groups, churches, teams, and countries that live by Proverbs principles will prosper.

However, there are exceptions, such as Job. It's disturbing that God somehow allows the Evil One to take away Job's riches, children & health. It doesn't seem fair that this man who always did the right thing suffered in such a way.

Then his 3 "friends" who comforted him with their silent presence for a week then "attacked" him with their simplistic words and perspectives. We can do the same today. Sometimes the best and wisest words are those that are not said.

The first friend insinuated that Job must have sinned or done something wrong, as God rewards the righteous and punishes the unrighteous. It's easy to do the same today. When someone suffers a great loss, we look for some evil in his life that is the cause. In the story where Jesus healed the blind man, it was asked whether it was the man or his parents who sinned.

Certainly we are to praise God during the good days and the bad days. I so much appreciate that in the example of Job's initial responses.

May 2010 be a year of rejoicing with those who rejoice and weeping with those who weep. I was struck on Sunday by the line "we had to rejoice" from the Prodigal Son parable. Sometimes I don't think that Christians know how to rejoice together very well.

At the same time, we also need to learn how to weep with those who weep. Certainly presence is a key part of helping those going through mourning. Words are often necessary at some point, although not simplistic solutions to complex situations. God help us to choose our words wisely.