Today's Meditation
Read Job 8
Then Bildad the Shuhite answered: 2“How long will you say these things, and the words of your mouth be a great wind? 3Does God pervert justice? Or does the Almighty pervert the right? 4If your children sinned against him, he delivered them into the power of their transgression. 5If you will seek God and make supplication to the Almighty, 6if you are pure and upright, surely then he will rouse himself for you and restore to you your rightful place. 7Though your beginning was small, your latter days will be very great.
8“For inquire now of bygone generations, and consider what their ancestors have found; 9for we are but of yesterday, and we know nothing, for our days on earth are but a shadow. 10Will they not teach you and tell you and utter words out of their understanding? 11“Can papyrus grow where there is no marsh? Can reeds flourish where there is no water? 12While yet in flower and not cut down, they wither before any other plant. 13Such are the paths of all who forget God; the hope of the godless shall perish. 14Their confidence is gossamer, a spider’s house their trust. 15If one leans against its house, it will not stand; if one lays hold of it, it will not endure. 16The wicked thrive before the sun, and their shoots spread over the garden. 17Their roots twine around the stoneheap; they live among the rocks. 18If they are destroyed from their place, then it will deny them, saying, ‘I have never seen you.’ 19See, these are their happy ways, and out of the earth still others will spring.
20“See, God will not reject a blameless person, nor take the hand of evildoers. 21He will yet fill your mouth with laughter, and your lips with shouts of joy. 22Those who hate you will be clothed with shame, and the tent of the wicked will be no more.”
Job's friend Bildad tries to console Job by reminding him of what happened with his own ancestors and to the generations that have long been gone. In verse 8, he says, "For inquire now of bygone generations, and consider what their ancestors have found; for we are but of yesterday, and we know nothing, for our days on earth are but a shadow. Will they not teach you and tell you and utter words out of their understanding?" Bildad then goes on in verse 20, 21, "See, God will not reject a blameless person, nor take the hand of evildoers. He will yet fill your mouth with laughter, and your lips with shouts of joy."
Sometimes the only way forward is to look back. When we get stuck thinking that we are enduring a horrible tragedy and no one can possibly understand, it is somewhat consolable to look back at our ancestors and all they endured. Looking back at what previous generations went through, helps us put our own life and our own situations into perspective. People endured hardships before and they managed to get through it. In fact, in many cases, they thrived afterward. Bildad is basically saying the same to Job, "I understand that life is miserable right now, but you aren't the only person that has ever had to endure such misery. Look back at our ancestors and previous generations, look what they endured. And yet, they came through it. You will, too. God will bring you out of this."
We often get stuck in the micro-vision of our day to day existence. The constant highs and lows that come from our daily routines and the triumphs and the tragedies that go with them. Bildad (and God) suggest that we look more clearly at the macro-vision of life. Take a step back. Yes, today might be a "terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day." But, tomorrow might not be so awful and the day after that might just be a little bit better. And weeks/months/years from now, we might even be able to dance and sing again with laughter and shouts of joy.
This doesn't negate the feelings that we have when life is horrible, but it does provide us a small amount of comfort to see us through.
Note:
When I read today's passage, began writing the meditation, and choosing the song, I'm in prayer thinking of all those going through difficulties right now; physical, emotionally, and spiritual. I'm also in prayer for those in the path of a literal storm; Hurricane Laura. May God watch over you!
No comments:
Post a Comment