Day Two: Job
1:20-21 Then Job stood up, tore his robe
and shaved his head. He fell to the ground and worshipped, saying: Naked I came
from my mother’s womb, And naked I will leave this life. The LORD gives, and
the LORD takes away. Praise the name of the LORD.
THIS PAST MOTHER’S DAY the Raleigh News and Observer ran an
amazing story about an incredible mom. This young mother has dealt with more
tragedy than most of us can imagine.
The story began several years ago. This
mom was still learning to adjust to life as a new mother when the unthinkable
happened. While at work, she got a call informing her that her 9-month-old
daughter had been in a car accident and was being rushed to the hospital. Upon
arrival, she was given the terrifying news that her baby had died.
In the midst of this immense pain, the
family maintained their faith. They were able to have another daughter and
begin to enjoy life again when the news came that they were going to have a
third child, this time a boy.
Life was exciting as they were
preparing for the arrival of their son. About a month before his expected
arrival, he stopped moving around in her belly. A subsequent doctor’s appointment
confirmed the fears: Her son had passed away in the womb.
This mother now had to schedule a time
to deliver a deceased baby. The normal excitement that accompanies the pain of
childbirth was absent. The excitement was replaced with heavy hearts and
sadness.
In just a few short years, this woman
had to bury two children for two completely different reasons. In spite of
these awful circumstances, she has remained faithful to God. In fact, the most
incredible line of the entire article was this: “Though she’ll never fully
understand God’s plan, (she) accepts it with an unwavering faith.”
This is precisely the same attitude we
find in the book of Job. Job, too, endured more pain and suffering than we can
fathom. His entire household was destroyed. His children were taken away from
Him. Yet in spite of the circumstances, he remained faithful to his creator.
The fact that we live in a fallen world means that we, too, will endure tragedy
in this life. We must learn to be like Job, and praise the name of God in the
midst of those tragedies.
PAUSE AND REFLECT
▷▷How have you responded to tragedies in your life?
▷▷How are we supposed to respond to tragedies?
▷▷How can we prepare ourselves to respond to
tragedy in a Job-like manner?
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