Job

The book of Job is one of my favorite books of the Bible, mostly because I can empathize with Job in his sufferings. As a result of illness I've gone through many periods when I've felt like Job and railed against God, not understanding why, being angry about what I'd lost or what I couldn't do. But more than that, the value of the book of Job in my life, the lesson and the message that has always stuck with me, is encompassed in job 1:21 "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord!" Strange words from a man whose life has been stricken with every kind of trial known to man, but oh how true! I've been reading through Job during my holy hours lately, and realizing how much respect I have for him and the wisdom and faith it takes to utter those words and really truly mean them, which Job does.

One of the things that Job struggles with is not understanding why all this has befallen him. He knows that he hasn't sinned, that his pain is not a result of his own actions, and is steadfast in that claim. He wants God to explain Himself and tell him why. Which is a feeling that I can understand very well. But in reading Job, I've come to the realization that I really don't need to know why I'm sick. I mean, look at Job. The witness of his sufferings and his redemption have stood for centuries, for millenia, and the glory that his story has given God is beyond anything he could have imagined. When I think about that, I can only wonder what purpose He has in store for my small share of pain. And I know He has one. The fruits this illness has born already, whether through offering it up in prayer, or the clearer priorities it has given me, the patience, the gratitude for the small things, have been worth it. And that's only the things that I know about. Who knows what the All Powerful has been doing that is beyond my understanding.

And in the end, Job's story has a very happy ending. Job is restored to his former prosperity of course, but more than that he is made an intercessor for his friends, and the Lord hears his prayers because they are born out of his suffering. Its because of and through that suffering that Job becomes an intercessor for those around him, which is a very special gift and a remarkable blesisng.

So I will always choose to say Blessed be the Name of the Lord because I know that God is taking care of me, has bigger plans for me than I do for myself, just as He did for Job. This illness is not something that I can control or change, so my worrying about what I cannot do, or what others may think is quite simply a waste of time. But praising God, well, that is never a waste of time.