Job has argued that life is unfair. Things do not work out the way they should. The righteous do suffer, the wicked do prosper, the fastest doesn’t always win the race, the wisest doesn’t always get the recognition, etc. But Job’s three friends won’t agree. Eliphaz argues, “The wicked writhe in pain throughout their lives. Years of trouble are stored up for the ruthless.  The sound of terror rings in their ears, and even on good days they fear the attack of the destroyer.”

This is like the ostrich who avoids problems by sticking his head in the sand. I can ignore the strange noise coming from the engine if I just turn the radio up louder. I can drink my way into a stupor, or escape from life with drugs, or any other means of escape but the problem remains. Those tactics do not deal with the reality of the problem.

Someone once asked C. S. Lewis, “Why do the righteous suffer?” “Why Not?” he replied. “They’re the only ones who can take it.”  The righteous do suffer! Of all those who might understand this, Helen Keller is one. She was deaf, mute, and blind from no cause of her own. She said, “Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.” Job proves through all his righteous suffering that his faith in God, though tested, could get him through anything.

I pray that it’s that way for you and me!

Chuck

” Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?” (Job 2:10)