“Be kind to me, I have had a hard day.” A grandson looked at this message on his grandmother’s t-shirt and asked honestly, “How do you know? It is only 8:00 in the morning.” Good question.
Job could have worn the shirt. He lost so much. Job’s first three friends rubbed salt in his wounds, implying he had only received what he deserved. In despair, he asked God for an audience. God showed up big and asked Job questions. In the familiar words of a courtroom, Job said, “No further questions, your honor” (40:1-4). God continued. Job surrendered. He had heard of God, but now he saw him.
What was God doing? Do you ever wonder that? “What in the world is God doing?” Redeeming. God is redeeming all he allows. The world is broken. Our enemy seeks to devour us. Then, when all hope seems lost, the omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent God proves himself to be all-loving. Job prayed for his friends. God gave Job his life back, including new children and double his former possessions.
The challenges we face like stones in a pond, can push us further away from God or close to him. When we find ourselves at our wits end, and God is all we have left, we are in a good place to hear his voice and see him more clearly. In unconditional surrender to our God, we discover that the same One who gave us life will restore all we have lost, in this life or the next. Good news: God knows how hard our lives are, and he is always kind.
