The Life Recovery Workbook for Grief - Flipbook - Page 8
L I F E RECOV ERY : GRIEF
Then Job was angry. When he spoke, he first cursed the day
of his birth. He wished he had never been born. From the sadness of chapters 1 and 2 to the anger of chapter 3, Job has been
grieving. And Job’s friends are going to make him even more
angry. At one point, Job says to them, “How long will you torture me? How long will you try to crush me with your words?
You have already insulted me ten times. You should be ashamed
of treating me so badly” ( Job 19:2-3). They meant well, but
their responses didn’t comfort Job.
Job was protesting his innocence, and he directed his arguments at God. And finally, when God begins to respond to Job,
he doesn’t criticize Job for his arguing. Instead, God asks Job
a series of questions that cover four chapters—questions
Job cannot answer, for the questions are too profound. We
cannot answer some of these questions to this day. God confronted Job with his powerlessness. When God is finished,
Job says,
I know that you can do anything and no one can stop
you. You ask, “Who is this that questions my wisdom
with such ignorance?” It is I—and I was talking about
things I knew nothing about, things far too wonderful
for me. You said, “Listen and I will speak! I have some
questions for you, and you must answer them.” I had
only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with
my own eyes. I take back everything I said, and I sit in
dust and ashes to show my repentance. ( Job 42:1-6,
emphasis added).
What is it that Job learned from his powerlessness? For one,
even though he was powerless, he was talking to a very powerful God. And he repented for having too small an image of God.
That’s something we can learn from Job. When we are truly
powerless, we are open to the almighty power of God himself.
There’s no sense by which I can do it myself; I can only do it
with God’s help.
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