Bruce Almighty is one of my favorite
movies. I think it’s incredibly clever
and a poignant look at our attitudes toward God. While I can’t claim I agree with all the
theology suggested by the movie (I think it’s clear the movie isn’t attempting
to convey theology per se), I think it’s an apt depiction of the way we all
think at times. As I was watching a
little of it yesterday, it stimulated some thinking that connected with my
reading this week. It was the part
before Bruce actually meets God as things are really beginning to unwind in his
life. Little by little, he loses his big
shot at being the news anchor, his relationship with his girlfriend is falling
apart, and to top it off he crashes his car into a pole just as he was asking
God for help. As many of us would, he
loses it … he begins to yell at God, blaming Him for all that’s going on, and
telling God that Bruce could do His job better than God was.
If
anyone had reason to yell at God, Job did.
Reading through the first part of Job this week (chapters 1 – 7, as well
as Psalms 38 – 44, and 2 Chronicles 8 – 14), I was reminded about the tendency
all of us have to be selective in our expression of faith in God. Recall from Job 1 that Job was a man that had
it all … not just possessions but a great family life and strong faith. So much so, that God presented Job to Satan
as a strong example of blamelessness and integrity. Satan, ever the accuser, contested that Job was
such an example ONLY because God had blessed him and put a hedge of protection
around him. So God allows Satan to do
his work, heartlessly stripping Job of his family (all 10 of his kids), his
possessions and wealth, and eventually his health. (I do it no justice running through it so
briefly, but read it for yourself because it’s an incredibly heart-wrenching
account.)
After
Job goes through just the first element of monumental anguish and loss (that of
his possessions and children), his reaction is both telling and inspiring …
(Job 1:20-22)
Job stood up and tore his
robe in grief. Then he shaved his head
and fell to the ground to worship. He
said, “I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has
taken it away. Praise the name of the
Lord!” In all of this, Job did not sin
by blaming God.
As
if that isn’t enough, after Job gets stricken with horrible sores and boils
from head to toe, his reaction is also awe-striking … (Job 2:8-10)
Job scraped his skin with a
piece of broken pottery as he sat among the ashes. His wife said to him, “Are you still trying
to maintain your integrity? Curse God
and die.” But Job replied, “You talk
like a foolish woman. Should we accept
only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?” So in all this, Job said nothing wrong.
At
about this time, many if not most of us would go the way of Bruce Nolan …
yelling at God, telling him “You should be fired, not me.” Because at times we allow our circumstances
to dictate our faith.
When
God is moving alongside us, stepping in stride with our expectations (as we
think He should) then all is fine and we exhibit faith that He’s doing what
He’s supposed to. Should deviation from
our expectations and / or demands occur, we fall apart. We blame God.
We let our faith wane. Because
our faith, we believe, should lead to our desired results. That’s not how it works.
Job
had faith. He lived a life of
faith. Particularly when all was
well. In fact, even when things were
great and his life was going the way he wanted, we’re told in chapter 1 that he
still purified (prayed for
and sacrificed for) his children, just in case they sinned. He took nothing for granted. Then, once the hardship hit, he was
prepared. It’s how we read in the first
passage from chapter 1, where Job’s response to the pain was 1) tore his robe
in grief and shaved his head, and 2) worshipped. Huh???
Worshipped!?!?
Yeah. When it all came crashing down, we’re told
that Job worshipped. When it got worse,
we’re told that Job remained steadfast … “Should we accept only good things
from the hand of God and never anything bad?”
What a great question … for us.
Job
teaches us two really important lessons that can help us remain faithful no
matter what the circumstances. First …
give God the credit when things go well.
All too often, when things are going great, we give ourselves the
credit. During times of plenty, when all
is well, be thankful. Job was. Because doing so puts us in the habit of
thanking Him no matter the circumstances, and prepares us for the second
point. Which is … when we’re in the
habit of praising God in the good circumstances, we’ll be in the habit of
recognizing where all things come from, and that in all things, God is working
to bring all things together for a blessed end that He intends (see Romans
8:28). If we believe that and try to
live by that, it doesn’t matter what happens, we’ll be able to withstand it.
Now
that’s not to say that we can’t have grief when bad things happen. God gives us emotions, and it’s one of the
ways that we’re created in His image.
And, bad is still bad … and bad isn’t what God intended but is simply a
consequence of sin that humans brought on through Adam and Eve’s original sin. We can be sad, we can be hurt. But like Job … let’s not sin by blaming God
or saying anything wrong about God.
Bottom
line, we can’t allow our circumstances to define our faith. Let’s face it, anyone can believe when
everything is going right. Anyone can
have faith when it’s all going your way.
That’s not faith. It’s faith when
everything is falling apart. When you’re
feeling like you’re going through the pits of hell and you still trust
God. As Job says later in chapter 13, “God
might kill me, but I have no other hope.”
When we have faith, real faith, it should take us all the way. It will take us all the way. The great thing is, God doesn’t make us go it
alone … He gives us the faith we need to trust Him. All the way.
No
matter the circumstances, let’s ask Him to help us stay faithful. Good.
Bad. Whatever.
In
all things, faithful …
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