God's Strange Answer
“Where is the way to the dwelling of light,
and where is the place of darkness,
that you may take it to its territory
and that you may discern the paths to its home?
Surely you know, for you were born then,
and the number of your days is great!
“Have you entered the storehouses of the snow,
or have you seen the storehouses of the hail,
which I have reserved for the time of trouble,
for the day of battle and war?
What is the way to the place where the light is distributed,
or where the east wind is scattered upon the earth?
I have always found it so strange that God's answer to Job as he sits on his little ash-heap is to give him a virtual tour of the Earth and God's expansive creation, from the mythical leviathan to the function of light particles.
Job has lost everything, his children, his riches, and his own health. And as he mourns he still manages to worship God . . . until his friends show up and cause much more harm than good. They try to convince him that he must have sinned to have brought this calamity upon himself. But Job knows better and in his exasperation, he demands that God come explain to him: Why do bad things happen to good people? Why has this fallen upon him?
Have you ever been there? Have you ever found yourself in deep pain and loss, wondering: Why has this happened to me?
God shows up like Job demands but his answer is puzzling. God doesn't explain why hardship has come into Job's life. God doesn't explain about the Satan figure who has set up Job's suffering. Instead, God shows Job the vastness of creation, and the intricacy of its tiny details. He reminds Job of his smallness in light of God's bigness.
When we are hurting and in pain, we think we want answers. But what we really need is the reminder of God's nearness in the world around us. We want to answers, but what we really need is to know that God is there, holding it all together.
When you are hurting or in pain, where do you go to be reminded of God's presence? Can you think of a time when God gave you what you needed rather than what you wanted?
Kelsey Lewis Vincent, Pastor for Youth and Families, First Baptist Church of Decatur