Tuesday, April 2
Read Job 1:13-19, 2:7-9. What happened to Job? In what ways does his experience reflect what happens to everyone, in one way or another, or at one time or another?
The Greek philosopher Heraclitus declared that “there is nothing permanent except change”. Just as it seems that everything is going fine, the unexpected happens. It may be the loss of a job or a limb, an illness that sends us to bed or to an early death, a house fire, a car accident, a fall while walking the family pet.
Of course, not all changes have to be negative. Maybe a promotion at work leads to better economic conditions. Or perhaps you meet someone who will become your spouse, a change that many would welcome.
Either way, we can be going along, even in a routine, a rhythm, when, instantly and unexpectedly, it’s all disrupted.
Job was certainly not expecting the new season in his life. The Bible describes him as a man who was “blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil” (Job 1:1, NKJV). We also know that he was married, had seven sons and three daughters, and was very wealthy (Job 1:2, 3). By the time we reach the middle of the book, he has suffered at least six major losses: his property, his labor force, his children, his health, the support of his wife, and the encouragement of his friends. His world has been turned upside down and his family life devastated.
Though what happened to Job was quite extreme, who among us hasn’t experienced the unexpected, in a very negative way, too? Life can be going along just fine when, suddenly and without warning, everything completely changes, and our lives—and our family’s lives—might never be the same again.
This is nothing new. Abel probably didn’t expect to be murdered, and Joseph didn’t exactly expect to be sold into slavery in Egypt. In both stories, family members were the betrayers, and in both stories the families were greatly impacted by what happened to other members. Scripture is full of examples of people whose lives, and families, were greatly transformed by the unexpected.
How has your faith helped you amid the trials that unexpectedly interrupted the rhythms of your life?
