Accepting Trouble

"...Yet another messenger came and said, 'Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother's house, when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are all dead'...His wife said to him, 'Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!' He replied, 'You are talking like a foolish woman.  Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?' In all this, Job did not sin in what he said."  Job 2:18-19, 9-10

photo cutesy of NSSL

Last week some awful winds swept through the South.  Now, towns and neighborhoods are completely gone.  Listening to the stories of the survivors and hearing about all the people who didn't make it is just heart wrenching.  I mean, when a tornado hits, there's not much you can do.  It chooses its own path and the people are at its mercy.

As I was reading my Bible today, I was struck by the fact that Job's children died at the mercy of the wind, which collapsed their house.  The news of their deaths must have been devastating for Job.  Much like some of the people in Alabama, the man lost everything.  Yet when he had the chance to moan and groan and feel sorry for himself, he didn't.  Instead, he explained that we have to be willing to accept the good and the bad. 

What amazing faith!  I know there are days when I seem to have trouble accepting the good from God.  Having to accept the bad is scary.  But God didn't leave Job in the gutter. At the end of his story it says that "After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before...The Lord blessed the latter part of Job's life more than the first." (Job 42:10, 12)  This isn't God's promise that everyone who struggles is going to get rich.  Instead, this story serves as a reminder that if we trust God and accept the good with the bad and maintain that testimony, God will honor that.

Let's not forget to pray for those in Alabama.  And let's remember to thank God for the good and the bad in our own lives.