May
the mumbling commence!
Job’s
friend, Bildad, asks us to examine what we put our trust in. Read Bildad’s word from Job chapter eight:
While still growing
and uncut,
they
wither away like grass.
Such
is the destiny of all who forget God;
so
perishes the hope of the godless.
What he
trusts in is fragile;
what
he relies on is a spider’s web.
He
leans on his web, but it gives way;
he
clings to it, but it does not hold. (Verses
12-15)
What
it must feel like to wither away like grass!
It has been a little over a year since I thought about these words. A year ago, we were in the clutches of a
drought. Not much has changed here in
Kansas. The weeds in my lawn are not but
brown. And, when my family went to Ohio
for Christmastime, the bare ground showed us once again a lush green grass,
only dormant because of the cold weather and the long nights of winter.
My
heart goes out to Jud and his family as one of the many families in Kansas who
rely on farming for their main source of income. We need moisture! And there is little moisture in the forecast. God, I pray for rain or snow – and if it has
to be ice to get moisture, then bring it on!
I trust in you, O God, to give us the moisture that we need to survive
and thrive.
But
to wither quicker than grass is the fate of all who forget God. Why would you or I forget God? Maybe because we are distracted by our fears
and attracted to the tangible solutions that crop around us like mirages. Placing our trust in anything or anyone else
is placing our hope upon a spider’s web.
Though the strands may be strong for their width, most of us know how it
is to walk through a spider’s web. It
makes us feel dirty and makes me wonder if I have a spider crawling on me. For me, it’s a strongly negative and clear
image in my mind.
But
why does this drought continue? I
struggle with Job’s words in chapter nine:
Although I am blameless,
I have no concern for
myself;
I despise my own life.
It
is all the same; that is what I say,
“He
destroys both the blameless and the wicked.”
When
a scourge brings sudden death,
he
mocks the despair of the innocent.
When a land falls into the hands of the wicked,
he blindfolds its
judges.
If it is not he, then
who is it? (Verses
21-24)
Job
claims blamelessness only to turn and despise his life. I wonder when I read this statement what
relationship it might have to Jesus’ call to give up your life for His sake and
to find new life. You know, rather than
seeking life as we know it. God’s ways
and thought are far above ours…
And
what about when evil people thrive? Is
God’s hand in this? Does God blindfold
judges and politicians? It is a
presidential election year, and I am sad to say that I do not see a good choice
in the offing. Job seems to think that
God blindfolds judges and politicians. “Who,
if not God?” Job says. I want to cry
out, “What about Satan and bribes and fame and fortune?” The list can go on and on. There are so many other things to blame blind
judges and politicians on. There are so
many other things to blame our own myopic visions of the world around us.
Here
is the truth about where to put our trust – not on Obama or Romney or any of
the other Republican potential candidates.
Neither should we put our trust in the TEA Party or the Occupy Wall
Street Movement. All of these things are
but spider’s webs. Let us put our trust
in God to keep our best interests in mind.
Even as we vote, regardless of which candidate wins, God is in
control. I rely upon God’s control, and I
give thanks for it.
Enough
mumbling for now…
Peace
Out
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