Happy Friday, everyone!
You know, praise kind of rolls off the tongue somewhat easier when life feels like sunshine, when the news is good, and your family is well. Things are going according to plan.
But what happens when clouds roll in? When something happens that we don’t understand? Or we can’t fix? Maybe something that we certainly wouldn’t have chosen had it been up to us?
Well, that’s where we meet Job and his wife. In a devastating series of losses, their children died, their livelihood was shattered, and then Job’s body became covered with painful sores.
These weren’t just disappointing days. Their lives had been completely turned upside down. And before we listen to what either of them said, we want to first acknowledge the very real pain that they were experiencing.
Job’s faith didn’t mean that he wasn’t heartbroken. Likewise, his wife’s words, as troubling as they were, came from a woman who was hurting. She lost her children. Her sorrow, fear, frustration, anger were real. And we shouldn’t just dismiss them.
But the question was, what would they do with that pain?
Listen first to Job’s response: “Job stood up and tore his robe in grief. Then he shaved his head and fell to the ground to worship. He said, ‘I came naked from my mother’s womb and I will be naked when I leave.’ The LORD gave me what I had. And the LORD has taken it away. Praise the name of the LORD. In all of this, Job did not sin by blaming God.” (Job 1:20-22)
Job tore his robe. He was in grief. He wasn’t pretending that the loss was small. He wasn’t acting like everything was okay.
And yet, right there in his grief, he worshiped.
His sorrow was real, but so was his trust in God.
Then, when physical suffering was added to everything else, we hear a different type of response from his wife.
“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 of this, Job said nothing wrong.” (Job 2:9-10)
Those were the words of a grieving wife and mother.
The difference wasn’t that one felt pain and the other didn’t.
Both of them were suffering.
The difference was the direction their pain took them toward cursing God or toward worshiping Him through tears.
And that’s the challenge these two passages put before us this weekend. We can bring our sadness to God without making an accusation against Him. We can admit that we don’t understand without deciding that He is no longer worthy of our trust, based on our circumstances.
Think about an umbrella. It doesn’t make the storm disappear. Holding one doesn’t mean that the rain isn’t real. It simply gives us a picture of seeking shelter while the rain is still falling.
Faith is not pretending we aren’t in a storm. It’s turning toward God in the middle of it and being covered in His love.
Perhaps this weekend is finding you enjoying the sunshine.
Or maybe it’s finding you in the middle of the rain.
Either way, praise His name.
God is good and God is faithful. That worship doesn’t mean you need to hide your tears. In fact, you can express them and give them over to Him in the middle of that praise.
Job’s response reminds us that praise and grief can occupy the same heart in the giving and the taking, in the sunshine and rain.
We can still say, “Praise the name of the LORD.”
Prayer
Lord, thank You for receiving us honestly when we come to You. Even when we are grieving, frightened, or frustrated. Help us bring our pain to You rather than letting it turn us away from You. When we can’t understand what You’ve allowed. Help us keep trusting You. Teach us to praise You in the sunshine and in the rain. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
Final Thought
Help us get this good news out, won’t you?
Hit the like.
Hit the subscribe.
And please share this with someone today.
ITTT