“A broken heart and raised hands are not mutually exclusive; instead they are a sweet offering to the Lord — perhaps the sweetest. Job was honest with his pain. He didn’t sugarcoat it, ignore it, or numb it. Rather, he walked right through it.”- Sharon Jaynes
Then Job answered the LORD, “I am unworthy — how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth.”- Job 40:4 (NIV)
Sharon Jaynes concludes Chapter 2 of When You Don’t Like Your Story as she reviews the story of Job. She calls Job’s story a backstage pass to suffering. In addition, Sharon observes that, at his lowest point, Job blamed God for destroying his honor, health, and home. And all this time, God remained mysteriously silent. As a result, Job felt God had forgotten him, but he knew he hadn’t.
Therefore, what Job felt and what Job knew collided. And that happens to us as well. For example:
- you felt God deserted you, but you knew He would never leave you or forsake you
- you felt God wasn’t listening, but you knew He was attentive to your prayers
In Job’s case, he finally reminded his feelings of the facts. Furthermore, after God poised a ‘few’ questions to Job (chapters 38-40), all Job can do is put his hand over his mouth. Sometimes struggle provides the only way to open the unseeing eye and hearken the unhearing ear, Sharon exhorts.
In conclusion, Sharon offers these words of caution and hope:
“The devil will try to fill in the gaps of what you don’t understand and poke holes in what you do. Refuse his input into your situation. Let faith fill in the gaps of what you don’t understand and the full assurance of God’s goodness seal up what you do. . . .
I trust that God loves me and knows what’s best for me. That doesn’t mean I’m going to like every situation that comes my way, but after I fuss about it for awhile, I will settle down and remember that God is not absent in what is happening.”
Today’s question: Can you offer the Lord your broken heart and raised hands? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “The questionable scenes in our lives”
