Job begins his two-chapter response to Eliphaz. Though there is a section that basically proclaims Eliphaz’s words to be meaningless / irrelevant, this section of verses stood out the most:
” ‘Oh that I might have my request, and that God would fulfill my hope, that it would please God to crush me, that he would let loose his hand and cut me off! This would be my comfort; I would even exult in pain unsparing, for I have not denied the words of the Holy One. What is my strength, that I should wait? And what is my end, that I should be patient? Is my strength the strength of stones, or is my flesh bronze? Have I any help in me, when resource is driven from me?’ ” (v8-13)
Here is my paraphrase of what Job is saying: “I long for God to grant my request, to release me from my suffering, even if it means letting me die. Thankfully, I find some comfort in this extreme pain – not because it isn’t hard, but because I know the pain is not a punishment for disobeying God. How can I be strong? How can I be patient? I’m not strong like a rock, or hard like bronze. I cannot help myself, for all the resources I had are now gone. I am at the end of myself, I have nothing left to give.”
Now that sounds pretty gloomy, I admit, but these are realizations that God wants us to have – not all circumstances are our own personal fault, and we are powerless without God’s support. There is such deep wisdom in these realizations, which some people unfortunately never learn, not even in their advanced years.
Many circumstances around us are a general consequence of sin in this world, such as our global pandemic. It’s not any one person’s fault, it’s the general result of a fallen and broken human race, prone to sin in the flesh. We don’t have to beat ourselves up over something that was not caused by our personal sin.
We can also accept the fact that we are powerless without God. Every time we humans think we’re advanced, every time we think we’re clever or have ‘seen everything’, something new happens that catches us off guard (like a virus to which we don’t have a cure / vaccination), and we are powerless in that circumstance. We are not all-powerful or all-knowing, regardless of what our pride says.
I want to leave us with this encouragement / blessing in this time of helplessness: May we lift our eyes up to the hills, for our help comes from the Lord, the creator of heaven and earth. Let’s not be afraid in these times, for God is with us – He will strengthen us, and uphold us with His righteous right hand. May we be strong and courageous, and not fear or dread, for the Lord is with us – He will never leave us, or forsake us. For what we are suffering right now is considered insignificant, when we think about the future glory that will be revealed to us. For everyone who is born of God overcomes the world and its circumstances, and this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith. (Par from Psa 121:1-2, Isa 41:10, Deu 31:6, Rom 8:18, 1 Jn 5:4)
May the peace and grace of God be with you, especially when you feel helpless. Amen.
~ Conqueror in Training