Job descended to the point where he felt that life was not only difficult but also futile. His life and faith's algorithm was out of order and he did not understand. As faithful children of God, we come to rely on His promises: He never punishes unjustly, He never shows partiality, He is merciful, He is compassionate, He is fair... and so many others. Well, all of that was turned upside down for Job by Satan, but this force in the world which tried to negate God established order and justice.
So, although we might be able to relate to Job's lament at certain periods in our life, we have to remember that we are not in Job's position. The order and justice of God is firmly established within our lives. For us, disruption is temporary and peace is eternal.
7:1 Job compared humankind to hardworking servants, but he no longer viewed it optimistically. We can choose to be servants here, as Jesus did, to God. Or, we can be slaves to the world of corruption and desperation. Job no longer viewed his life as a service to God; he thought of himself as a meaningless and weary worker.
7:2-3 He desperately wanted rest, but also for his life to mean something again. The suffering felt futile. And it was, but only because Job did not interpret it for what it was: a chance to display the rigorousness of his faith; a chance to exemplify that he had hope and trust that God would secure his future and protect the people of his past.
We can view every trial as an opportunity to grow, as the level you have to pass to advance into the next. Every level has greater reward but also greater responsibility. The skills we learn during a trial prepare us for the next level. We cannot allow ourselves to mope lethargically (no matter how much good reason we have for doing so) because we will never be able to move on.
7:4-5 Job suffered insomnia and other physical discomforts. He had every reason to feel as horribly as he felt. But because he did not utilize that pain productively, his emotional discomfort plunged even deeper.
There is so much God will do with a contrite spirit, Psalm 51:17! He loves, mends, restores, strengthens are reestablishes a broken person who is wise enough to trust Him to. It is good to be emotionally raw with God; He expects and delights in honesty. But the mistake we do not want to make is to wallow in self-pity; worse than unproductive, it's harmful.
We must own our pain, present it honestly to God and then prepare ourselves to use it in a way that serves His purpose... He is always serving ours. Satan was allowed to temporarily tweak Job's life; God is the only eternal power in this life. Knowing that, trust that all mountains are surmountable; all brokenness able to be healed; all dirt able to be cleansed; every action redeemable and every state of disorder able to be reordered, organized. Because barriers are not permanent. Brokenness is not permanent. Weaknesses is not permanent. Sorrow is not permanent. God is permanent.
7:6-8 Job worried that his life was short, meaningless and without hope. Those are the characteristics of a life without God, without faith.
Because a child of God has been given a perfectly tailored, allotted amount of time to make a specific impact with their particular God-given purpose, a purpose that results in the fulfillment of hope.
Job was right: he couldn't see. But the problem was with his faith not his eye. He lost his spiritual perspective and without that, life looks bleak. To remove faith, the lens of our reality that God is our creator and savior, is as if to look at life like the negative of a photo. The color is missing. The detail. The passion. The inspiration.
7:9-10 Right again, Job. He would not be remembered if he continued on the path he was on. There are enough people in the world living lethargically, apathetically, pessimistically that they do not stand out as individuals to be remembered. It is the people who retain hope and subsequently see its fulfillment that are remembered.
7:11-16 Job thought he preferred death over his tormented state. As children of God, we really have to grip onto the truth that our life is blessed by God, even when it is not apparent. Our life is an opportunity, a temporary, blessed opportunity. Job's health and family were retained by God, and would be given back to him.
Life is a course and one worth participating in. It comes with burden but God has offered to claim it. Trade your life burden, for what God trades it for:
Matthew 11:30Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
God is aware that life is hard and heavy. He is aware that we are soft and weak. He does not expect us to handle more than we are able. It is precisely when we are weak that God implements and reinforces His strength in our life, 2 Corinthians 12:9-11. God will go to battle for you as soon as you request His army.
7:17-21 Job addressed his diatribe to the wrong entity. He accused God of unfair punishment but Satan was the perpetrator. Similarly, people across the world blame God for crimes He did not commit. God generously provided freedom to people, people abuse that freedom, and then God is blamed for His generosity.
When something awful occurs, we should not ask: "Why didn't God...", we should ask "Why did they?" We should recognize that our spiritual Father is a creator not a destroyer. He establishes precise order rather than random chaos. If something does not look like His handiwork, it isn't His handiwork. Know Who He is to know what He is responsible for. When we realize that a force opposite of God is opposing us, we realize that we are on God's side and therefore it is us and Him against an adversity that will never win, Romans 8:31.
A final point: In Malachi 2:17, God admits that sometimes we weary Him. And one of the ways we do that is by not believing that He is present and powerful with His justice. Learn from Job, do not falsely accuse God. Do do not ask where God is in a desolate situation because He is standing right beside you. If you listen, He is speaking all the time. And what He says are the directions to lead you out of the place you are desperate to leave.
