Honest Moments with God

 I continue to find gems of wisdom and beauty as I cautiously read through the book of Job.  chapter 15 is Eliphaz's "the termite" second reply to Job...I know is supposed to be "the Temanite" but...you know what I mean...this guy is like a termite.  He gets under Job's skin and without compassion, he eats away seeking to destroy Job's ability to just have an honest moment with God without being harshly judged.

Have you been there?  I don't know Eliphaz's intentions.  I don't know if his desire is to crush Job's spirit even more than it already is.  But, what I do see is that Job is a man who needs space to come to terms with what is happening to him, while a "friend" is not allowing him to do that.

I know I have not experienced the torments of Job, PTL!! But, sometimes, I do find myself in a pit of despair.  Sometimes, that pit is of my own making.  But, there are other times when I blink, and I'm there...no idea how...and in those moments, I often just need to have room to wrestle with God a bit.  I have learned that is healthy to have those honest moments of questioning.  God can take it.  He is nothing like the parent who is confronted by their kids when he or she gets caught in a lie.  NO!  God does not lie.  It is us who choose to believe the deception from the world and who decide to get entangled in the enemy's schemes.  

Scripture is clear, but when we don't know it, when we do not carry the Word of God in our hearts, we believe the lies that have passed around through the times by people who do not know The Word either.  Scripture doesn't say life is going to be easy and smooth.  Jesus says, if you want to follow me, you have to pick up your own cross and move along.  This is not an image of a smooth and problem free life.  Jesus says, take on my yoke...it is light...but it is still a YOKE!!!  no joke about it.  He says to expect to encounter trouble in this world just as He encountered it...do you remember what happened to Jesus?  

So, the expectation of a problem-free and smooth-sailing type of life while in this world is a fabrication of the enemy with the help of the unbeliever.  Believing that lie is the unveiling of our own foolishness and ignorance.  So, in those moments when we realize our journey is rough and we want to raise our fists at God and ask "why, Lord, why?" we should.  I think we definitely should do just that, because it is precisely in those moments of honest wrestling when we finally begin to learn the Truth.  And the Truth is not that we will have it easy and without trouble.  The Truth is that Jesus will be and IS with us always.  The truth is that even though we will encounter trouble, He has overcome the world and the power of Him who overcomes, is in us and will guide us to His Victory.  The truth is that Truth is a Person, and His Name is Jesus, and He is in us, and He is God, and God is Good all the time...and all the time, He is good.