When bad things happen to good people

Job was a man who lived in Uz. He was honest inside and out, a man of his word, who was totally devoted to God and hated evil with a passion. He had seven sons and three daughters. He was also very wealthy—seven thousand head of sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred teams of oxen, five hundred donkeys, and a huge staff of servants—the most influential man in all the East! Job 1:1-3,

It doesn't seem fair. Parents who raise their child in the fear of the Lord, attending church, doing the best they can, end up with a wayward son. Another God-fearing family works hard, saves and gives generously, but the dad has been out of work for way too long. Another precious lady loves her family, mentors young ladies, but has battled breast cancer for years. Or in the workplace, the one who works the smartest and the hardest, behind the scenes serving the team, is passed over for the promotion. Where is the justice? When will things be made right to those wronged?

Job was God's choice servant. A man of integrity. A blessed businessman, but even greater was the joy and fulfillment he and his wife experienced with their family. Healthy, wealthy and wise. But change was coming. Lucifer (Satan) had been one of the Lord's angels, but he fell from grace because of his pride. Now, the accuser approaches the Almighty and challenges the authenticity of Job's faith. After all, anybody can follow God when everything seems to be going his way. But when he loses everything, surely he will lose faith---even make a deal with the devil.

“Then the Lord asked Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth—a good man who fears God and will have nothing to do with evil.” “Why shouldn’t he when you pay him so well?” Satan scoffed. “You have always protected him and his home and his property from all harm. You have prospered everything he does—look how rich he is! No wonder he ‘worships’ you! But just take away his wealth, and you’ll see him curse you to your face” (Job 1:8-11, The Living Bible)!

God allows the accuser to ambush Job. He loses everything. His camels, donkeys, oxen and servants destroyed or stolen by the despised enemies--the Sabeans and Chaldeans. Additionally, fires burned up his sheep and servants. Today, the camels might be equivalent to a fleet of merchant ships moving goods, and the donkeys to Uber or Lyft transporting people. Overnight, Job’s economic empire came tumbling down. Most devastating were gale force winds that crushed the home where all his children were feasting, now all dead. Not surprisingly, Job experienced sorrow upon sorrow, fell to the ground, weeping and in worshipful grief proclaimed:

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, naked I’ll return to the womb of the earth. God gives, God takes. God’s name be ever blessed. Not once through all this did Job sin; not once did he blame God”(Job 1: 21-22, The Message).

Wow! So how like Job, can we respond---when bad things happen to good people?

Trust Jesus Not Stuff As Our Savior and Security

Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him; I will surely defend my ways to his face. Job 13:15

My flesh longs for security in stuff. More money. More insurance policies. More gadgets. But my spirit longs for security in a Savior---Jesus! If my trust is in changing circumstances, fickle people or undependable finances, then I am set up for failure, fear and discontentment. Eternal security in Christ begins on earth. Longing for the Lord fills our deepest longings and achy soul.

Worship The Lord With Awe And Wonder When Surrounded By Sorrow

Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm. He said: “Who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge? Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Job 38:1-4

Pain is our opportunity to look up for help and cry out to our Creator for His comfort and love. God’s power to create the world is our reminder of His power to shepherd us through the threats of disease or fear of the unknown. Instead of a glib “fine”, when we take inventory of our hurting heart, we can confess we have Feelings on the Inside that Need Expressing (F.I.N.E.). Our sympathizing Savior understands, He cares---so we worship Him, caught up in His holy love.

Stay Faithful To God, Even When It Seems Like He Is Not Faithful

As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. James 5:11

Job never one time blamed God for his bad, some would say, horrific circumstances. His hope was still in heaven, even if the Lord took him to heaven. Our faithfulness to Christ is not based on our circumstances or even on our perception of injustice. Faithfulness happens when we choose to see the bigger picture of our Father”s heart”s desire for what is best for us. No loss is wasted with the Lord”s loving ways. Stay faithful in the face of adversity, and trust He is at work. The Lord”s compassion and mercy is near to the brokenhearted to administer His healing love.

Don't forget

Then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. Deuteronomy 8:14

Pride forgets where it came from. Humble beginnings and dependence on others seem to get erased from the memory of someone influenced by pride. Pride may get promoted, but it forgets those who contributed to the process of success. It is forgetful either intentionally or unintentionally. Pride loses its focus on who was really responsible in furthering its career. There is too much credit given to self and too little credit given to others. Pride forgets its family. Sometimes it gets so busy in work or play that it fails to involve the ones who provide the platform for its performance. Pride takes family for granted and ignores their needs. It is selfishly wrapped up in itself. Pride forgets the feelings of others; it is insensitive and obnoxious. Pride is not afraid to crush someone’s spirit on the way to success. Pride forgets others, while humility includes others; Pride takes all the credit, while humility shares the credit; Pride discourages, while humility encourages; Pride pontificates, while humility prays; Pride talks too much, while humility listens liberally; Pride blames, while humility takes responsibility; Pride is oblivious to good manners and courteous conduct. It is all about itself, with little or no regard for the needs of others. Above all else, pride forgets God. It may talk about God but only as needed to rubber-stamp its plans. Pride subtly uses God to carry out its agenda, and it forgets to see God for who He is. Almighty God is high and lifted up. He is holy, and His expectations are love, fear, and obedience. Pride forgets that God governs the universe and all its inhabitants. God is engaged with you up to the smallest of details, and He knows where you are and where you need to go. He wants you to remember His pristine track record of faithfulness. His past provision is a predictor of His future provision. Pride forgets this; it has amnesia to the things of the Almighty. Pride may say it believes in God, but its actions communicate agnosticism. It is too busy to create margin for its Master. It is imperative you allow Christ to keep your pride in its place. It can only be conquered with humble dependence on God and obedience to His commands. Humility displaces pride and bows down before Divinity in prayer. Humility remembers God’s faithful deliverance from darkness into light. It remembers God’s salvation from sin and self to grace and service. Humility remembers to love God and people first, and subjugates its needs so that they are second. It has tremendous recall for good because God is its leader. Humility remembers how generous God is, and is generous in return. It understands and remembers what’s important to the Lord, and then invests its energies toward His initiatives. Humility remembers to thank others and to pray for them. It is extremely grateful, and appeals to heaven on behalf of people. Humility remembers because it cares.

Patience in the process

When you were in school you would have to take regular tests. These tests let the teacher know where you stood on the material you needed to learn. If you were unable to pass these tests, then more assignments and more tests would have to be given.

God also gives tests. His tests show where we are on the road of our personal development. God is not going to bring you to the fruition of your destiny until He knows you are able to handle it spiritually, emotionally, physically and the like. 

If you cannot handle it, you will lose it rather than use it for His glory. That is why He focuses so intently on our development as He takes us to our destiny.

The timing and length of our detours in life is often dependent upon our personal choices and growth. God may have a short detour planned for us but we make it longer through our hard-headedness, stubbornness, resentment or immaturity and doubt.

For those of you who work out or exercise, did you know that your muscles change almost immediately after a strength training session? The process called protein synthesis occurs anywhere from two to four hours after exercising. This is how the muscles grow stronger and bigger. Yet even though it happens so quickly after strength training, it is typically four to six weeks before noticeable muscle changes are seen by others. 

Have you ever started an exercise regime only to quit it because you did not see any results? Many people do because they expect results a lot sooner than the results take to actually develop.

Similarly, many people stop pursuing the pathway to their destiny when they don't see things lining up as quickly as they thought they should. But God is intentionally using the delays and detours in our lives to develop us for where He is taking us. 

Arriving at your destiny requires patience in the process. 

Be rich

But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God. Luke 12:20-21

Am I building my barns bigger? Or, am I building God's barns better? Jesus, with striking contrast transitions from two brothers bickering over their inheritance to illustrate a heart of greed. Subtly, wealth simultaneously decreases the need for stuff, with less of a felt need for God. If I act like I am the owner of my possessions, then the acquisition of more possessions becomes my motivation. But, if I live like the Lord is the owner of my stuff, and I am His steward, then the distribution of His possessions becomes my passion. Generosity starves greed.

The parable Jesus unpacks is packed full of emotion, wisdom and warning. He calls out a prosperous man for his foolishness: shortsightedness, self indulgence and self deception. The productive man deceptively thought he owned his possessions: "my crops, my barns, my grain, myself". The farmer even missed stating the obvious: the Creator of the soil, his soul, and the harvest, was Almighty God. This foolish man failed to be rich toward God by living for himself.

"And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: “They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever" (2 Corinthians 9:8-9).

Truett Cathy, the founder of Chick-fil-A, was extravagantly rich toward God. He was rich in his relationships by giving personalized encouragement, wisdom and financial generosity. He was rich toward orphans and foster children by providing facilities and opportunities for them to feel loved and taken care of. Though leading a billion dollar company, he lived modestly, so his team members could take off from work on Sundays and take care of their families. Truett famously said about business, "If we focus on becoming better, our customers will demand we become bigger". As followers of Jesus, if we focus on becoming more like Christ, others will look to learn about following Christ. Being rich toward God is valuing what God values over ourselves.

Here are some questions we can all pray over to assess how rich we are toward God:

1. Dear Lord, how do you love me and how do you want me to love others?
2. Dear Lord, how can I build your barns better, and avoid building my barns bigger?
3. Dear Lord, as my possessions increase, how can I increase my need for you?
4. Dear Lord, what is your heart for the possessions I manage for you?
5. Dear Lord, how can I be wise and not foolish in your eyes?
6. Dear Lord, show me the peril to my soul of meeting the demands of bigger barns for me.
7. Dear Lord, how would you like for me to be rich toward you?

What does it mean to be rich toward God? It means to treasure what He treasures: my relationship with Him and others, lost souls, love and compassion for hurting human beings. To be rich toward God is to be rich in good deeds, rich in generosity and rich in relationships.

"Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life" (1 Timothy 6:17-19).

Good news

Now I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand, 2 through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you—unless you have come to believe in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:1-2

Growing up in a Christian home, rarely did a week go by that I didn’t hear some comment about “salvation,” “the gospel,” or “the good news.” Each of these terms brought with them an evangelistic fervor and zeal- souls were meant to be saved and the good news to be proclaimed! And while I commend this zeal and believe passionately in the conversion of life to the good news of Jesus, I regret the way in which this message often carried with it a fearful and frenetic tone, as though God’s Kingdom could crumble at any moment, so get on board quick.

Over the years, many scholars have pointed out that the good news of the gospel is most closely compared to the news brought back to a city from the battlefield: “Victory is ours and the kingdom is secure!” The death and resurrection of Jesus is this securing of this victory and the establishment of the reign of King Jesus. As such, the gospel is not a formula to be shared but is a reality to be encountered. Similarly, it is not simply a set of disembodied beliefs to accept as much as it is allegiance to be given.

This is the pastoral heart we see in Saint Paul in 1 Corinthians 15. He is writing to a church that heard the good news of God’s victory in Jesus, yet is now struggling to live and “hold firmly” to the way of life that this Kingdom demands of its citizens. Ancient Corinth would have made Vegas look tame. It was a city of indulgent pleasure and passion, and for many early converts they wanted to cling to this way of life while still professing to be walking the way of the cross.

The Christian life always begins with the proclamation and reception of the good news of Jesus. Yet that is just the beginning, and in every age Christians have spent their entire life as spiritual infants, never moving into a mature faith in which we root ourselves in Jesus and stand fully upon His promises, conforming every area of our lives to the way of His Kingdom.

Do you believe life in God’s Kingdom will lead to your flourishing and is ultimately for your good? So often our resistance to stand firm as citizens in his Kingdom comes from our fear of giving full allegiance in every area of our lives. The LORD longs for you to enter into the rest and safety of his Kingdom, so hold on to hope by giving yourself to Jesus freely and fully in every area of your life.

Pour it out

Hannah was praying silently; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard; therefore Eli thought she was drunk. So Eli said to her, ‘How long will you make a drunken spectacle of yourself? Put away your wine.’ But Hannah answered, ‘No, my lord, I am a woman deeply troubled; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the LORD. 1 Samuel 1:13-15

It seems to me that so often we have a fatalistic approach to life and faith. Though we would love to see our circumstances or situation change, we often feel helpless to do anything about it ourselves, and, if we are honest, are unsure if God is able and willing to enter into our pain and loss and bring his hope and peace. Perhaps you have found yourself deeply troubled by unanswered prayer, times in life when you’ve allowed yourself to be vulnerable with God and believe for impossible things, only to see those prayers go seemingly unheard?

For much of her life, Hannah found herself in this very place of desperation. Hannah had a profound longing for children, yet after praying “in the house of the LORD” for years that God would answer this prayer, she remained barren. Though thousands of years separate us, there is something deeply human about her story that each of us can relate to in some way. Who doesn’t know the feeling of desperately wanting something yet wondering if you will ever live to see it? Perhaps, like Hannah, you struggle with infertility and deeply relate with her pain. Your struggle might be different. You may find yourself filled with longing for the salvation of a loved one, the return of a prodigal child, or healing from a life-threatening illness.

Whatever the details of your circumstance may be, a foundational question lies before you: does your desperation turn you towards God in faith or away from him in fear? It is understandable to struggle with why God chooses to answer some prayers and seemingly ignore or reject others. Most certainly Hannah spent years of her life wondering why God refused such a sincere and heartfelt prayer. As she says, her soul was “deeply troubled.” And yet, in the same breath, in the midst of her confusion, she continues to press in and “pour out her soul before the LORD.”

Hannah’s story reminds us that God tells good stories. The story of creation is bent towards justice, towards redemption, towards the flourishing of life within his Kingdom. Do you believe this? Can you cling to this hope, even if hope seems impossibly distant at this very moment? Hannah trusted in the goodness and faithfulness of God and continued to take steps of faithful obedience, even in the midst of a season of uncertainty and doubt. May God give us the courage and strength to do the same.

Hospitality anyone

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. Luke 10:38

We spend much of our life coming and going, busily rushing from one place to the next – the gym, coffee shop, grocery store, work – yet if we are honest, these are not the primary spaces in which our true selves are formed. These are not the places where intimate relationships are nurtured and strengthened. Intimacy is cultivated and celebrated in the privacy of a home. Though there are many lessons learned in the story of Martha and Mary, we cannot miss that it is a powerful testimony to what we might call “domestic spirituality.” The life of discipleship is lived with Jesus around the kitchen table and in the holy, ordinary rhythms of everyday life. And yet, many of us are terrified of what awaits us in these intimate spaces. We don’t want to deal with our deep thoughts, with relational challenges, with what God might want to teach us and show us in that space, and so we avoid them and stick with the “safety” of the public space. We stay at the gym a little longer, work a few hours later, fill every open slot on our calendars so we stay active and busy and never have to deal with the big questions that lie just below the surface. I wonder, though, if we might be missing something profound that the Lord wants to do in each and every one of us? Martha, though often (unfairly) maligned in this story, begins with a bold act of faithful discipleship: she invites Jesus into the intimacy of her home. Are we willing to do the same? It is easier to keep Jesus at a distance, observing his ministry as a bystander or assessing his teaching as a disengaged intellectual exercise. To invite him into your home is to invite his close scrutiny of your most personal and private spaces. It is to give him access to the parts of your life that we are tempted to hide and keep in the dark. If we have ears to hear and eyes to see, in our intimate spaces the Lord seeks in love to offer tender words of compassion and redirection, as he did with Martha. Discipleship is not God simply seeing and affirming everything about us, leaving us just as we are. It most often includes God inviting us to bring our shame and sin into the light and allowing him to heal and restore us, setting us back on the path that leads to life. This is the gift of encountering Jesus in close and intimate ways. He draws near, not to shame us, but in kindness to lead, shepherd, and teach us.

Come boldly no matter what

But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness (Romans 4:5).

Boldness is what God wants you to have when you come to Him. He does not want you to be afraid to come to Him, feeling unworthy because of your sins. He wants you to come boldly to Him, knowing that the death, burial and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ has justified you and qualified you to boldly receive from Him.

This was the kind of boldness that the woman with the issue of blood had when she touched Jesus (see Mark 5:25–34). Now, by touching Jesus, she knew that she was breaking a Levitical law which states that anyone with a bodily discharge is unclean, and should not appear in public, let alone touch another person (see Leviticus 15).

But she refused to feel condemned by the law. She believed what she had heard about Jesus, and was confident that there would only be love and compassion, not condemnation, from Him. She believed that Jesus would justify her and qualify her to receive the miracle she needed. That was why she boldly pressed her way into the crowd to touch Jesus, who indeed said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well” (Mark 5:34).

What was it about her faith that made her well? Romans 4:5 talks about faith that believes God justifies the ungodly. When you believe that God justifies the ungodly, it will give you boldness to come to God, even when you feel unclean because you have just blown it.

When you fail, don’t run away from God. Run boldly to Him, knowing that you are justified by the blood of Christ and not by your good behavior. The devil may say to you, “How can you do that? Who do you think you are?” Don’t listen to him. Pick yourself up and thank God for the blood and the gift of no condemnation (see Romans 8:1). If God justifies the ungodly, how much more you, His beloved child

Peacemaking

If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Romans 12:18

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to be a peacemaker. In a world filled with offended people, choosing to make peace is a much needed skill and gift, to others and to ourselves.

Peacemakers seek to be the first to forgive. They don’t wait for the other person or the offending party to say, “I’m sorry,” before they extend grace.

Peacemakers focus on their own responsibility in peacemaking. While they may understand what others have done wrong, that’s not their focus. They don’t point a finger in judgment. Their goal is to glorify God, even if no one else is glorifying Him.

Peacemakers know there is blessing in peacemaking. They know blessing may not come immediately or even in this life. But they seek after God’s will in peacemaking, knowing there will certainly be a blessing that comes when they see Christ face-to-face.

“For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known” (1 Corinthians 13:12).

Peacemakers know there is a difference between peacemakers and peacekeepers. Peacemakers aren’t afraid to speak in love when problems call for it, but they carefully choose when to speak and when not to speak. They know peacemaking does not mean overlooking problems or acting like everything is perfect, while ignoring sin or conflict.

Peacemakers aren’t puffed up with pride, demanding to be heard because they know they are right and want justice. Neither are they wallflowers that shrink back in fear trying to keep a false peace that isn’t worth keeping. They operate from inner strength and are guarded by humility. They know God loves and sees them. When they move into conflict, they do so with a heart of reconciliation, a heart to glorify God, and a heart to see love win.

Peacemakers don’t unnecessarily rush into conflict and create more problems. They aren’t relational pot stirrers. They also know that believers aren’t supposed to talk about someone to gossip, but talk with someone to solve a problem. They know that operating from assumptions without going to the person is divisive and cooperating with the devil. And they know that sometimes they must have hard conversations in a godly way.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God” (Matthew 5:9).