Trust and Trial

In one of his boastful speeches to his friends, Job says, "I helped the poor in their need and the orphans who had no one to help them. I helped those who had lost hope, and they blessed me. And I caused the widows' hearts to sing for joy. All I did was just and honest. Righteousness covered me like a robe, and I wore justice like a turban. I served as eyes for the blind and feet for the lame. I was a father to the poor and made sure that even strangers received a fair trial. I broke the jaws of godless oppressors and made them release their victims." --Job 29:12-17

No one could deny that Job certainly did great things and no one could question why God called Job righteous. But Job's thinking was erroneous. He continues this monologue with a clear indication that he thinks that life is like a math equation where a plus b will always equal c:

"I thought, 'Surely I will die surrounded by my family after a long, good life. For I am like a tree whose roots reach the water, whose branches are refreshed with the dew. New honors are constantly bestowed on me, and my strength is continually renewed.'" --Job 29:18-20

Job could not fathom how he had come across so much trial when he was doing everything right. He thought God was obligated to bless him because of his good works. And undoubtedly that makes sense in an a + b = c world. But we don't live in such a place.

The logical person then asks, "What is the point of living my life well and doing good if I'm still going to have problems?"

As Christians, we should act in obedience as an expression of our love for God, NOT because we want to achieve a certain result. If we act in obedience because we want God to do something for us, we will quickly learn that God does not have to do what we want because He is, quite simply, God. We should act in obedience while we pass through the worst of trials because we trust that God knows what is best. We obey because of our love for and faith in God, not because we think that a + b = c whenever human actions are involved. This life is only temporary, and the only time a + b = c is when a and b are our faith in Jesus and His sacrifice for our sins and c is salvation; c cannot be obtained by any other a and b combination. If we think otherwise, we may find our good deeds to be in vain. On the other hand, we can trust that our good deeds will never be in vain when our hearts are in the right place and our deeds represent our love for a God who we may not always understand.

Posted by Kim at January 10, 2006 11:16 AM