Job 23:1-9, 16-17 • Job’s reply.
Matthew 6:25-33 • Do not worry about what you will eat or drink.
On this day of Thanksgiving, we hear the struggle and suffering of Job, seeking to find God so that he can pled his case. Job’s biggest challenge is that he can’t find God. Has God abandoned him? Is Job meant to accept the idea that suffering is caused by his lack of faith? Absolutely not. Job shows us that he will not suffering passively AND he refuses to abandon his faith. Questioning and arguing with God is actually an act of deep faith. When we ask God questions we are turning TO God. If sin is defined as that which separates us from God, then questioning, pleading, and arguing with God is not a sin. We see this played out in the relationship between Jesus and the disciples. But like Job, we need to trust in the promise of God’s presence even in suffering. The apostle Paul reminds us that in Jesus, we know that nothing can separate us from the love of God! (Romans 8:31-39). Therefore, we need not worry, and when we are suffering that is precisely when we should turn to God. When and how has God been there for you in your time of greatest need?