Week 2 - How to be right(eous) when everything goes wrong

Sacred Insight: What’s the intention?
As you read, considering the context, determine the intention behind the author’s words. Name all that apply: 1. To show us His truth, 2.To expose our human rebellion 3. To correct our mistakes, or 4. To train us to live like Jesus. (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Last week, we discussed how this verse is Job’s praise of God right smack in the awkward middle of the darkest, worst time of Job’s life.

When was the last time you were having a terrible day, a horrible season of life, a paralyzing depression or a catastrophic life change and you paused to declare God’s goodness? I’ll go first. Never. Now, if you ask me if I’ve questioned pleaded, cried out? Yes, I’ve certainly done all those things when life was less than stellar. But the difference between Job and most of us is that he still praised God in the midst of his suffering. He never gave up on God.

But here’s the truth. Although we have this beautiful reminder of Job’s faith, if we read the rest of the book, we find that Job certainly did not spend all his time praising God. Despite Job’s faithfulness, Job and his friends spent all the brainspace they had trying to understand the reason for his suffering. They questioned Job and God relentlessly – demanding answers.

In fact, even though Job was rewarded for his ultimate faithfulness, God wasn’t 100% on board with Job’s other responses to his situation.

Reading further in the book of Job, we find that God’s answer to Job’s questioning and demanding answers was to remind Job that he had a very, very…very limited perspective of things. God reminded him that his understanding of how the world is ordered and why things happen or don’t happen, was infinitesimally small. God said the appropriate response for Job and for all of us, was to turn to God in unabashed faith (like he did in Job 19:25) and cling to the Lord’s knowledge and wisdom rather than our own. God illustrated this point with a chapter full of rhetorical questions.

Job 38:4
Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?  Tell me, if you understand.
Job 38:24
What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed,  or the place where the east winds are scattered over the earth?
Job 39: 27
Does the eagle soar at your command  and build its nest on high?

When Job was reminded of his place in the order and understanding of life, he was deeply humbled.

Job 40:3 Then Job answered the Lord: 4 “I am unworthy—how can I reply to you?  I put my hand over my mouth.

He put his hand over his mouth! Job was so humbled by God’s response that he was silenced.

Here’s the thing: It’s okay to question God. It is okay – even good to come to him in our frustration, weeping and confusion. But we must come to Him, relying and ultimately submitting to Him alone. We can only find peace in the chaos when we acknowledge the author and source of peace and hope itself – God, like Job ultimately did.

Job 19:25 I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth.

Remember, in the end, he certainly did stand on the earth in the form of His Holy Incarnate Son, Jesus, and He will stand on the earth again one day.

Trusting that God has a whole lot more wisdom, experience, information and perspective than we could ever dream of having, is what He’s after. That’s why keeping our faith in God and praise of Him on our lips is so very vital. Like Job did in our verse, we can bring our doubts, our tears, our frustration, but ultimately need to remember to come back to speaking His praises more loudly than our woes – to remind our hearts, mind and community around us, that God is our Redeemer, not us, not our friends, not our doctors, not even our extensive research on Google.

God alone has the car keys to this wild ride and there comes a point where we must trust the driver.

Teaching Outline

Have you ever felt like you needed an explanation from God before you could trust Him? What happened when you didn’t get the explanation you wanted?

2. Where do you tend to rely on your own “wisdom” instead of God’s? For example: research, planning, control, other people’s opinions, money, doctors, relationships, or simply trying harder?

3. What is the difference between praising God because everything is going well and praising God because God is still God when everything is going badly?

4. What is one “why” question you may need to release to God—even if you never receive the answer you want?

Live It Out:

Write out our scripture in your journal. Add notes, drawings, encouragements and thoughts about its original intention and meaning.
During your prayer time this week, as you pray for the people and things on your heart, take deliberate time to praise God. Extoll his virtues, his power and his love for all of creation.