Job 23:1-9, 16-17

Where is God!?

A question that haunts us all. Every human being has asked that question or will ask it at some point in their life. My kids ask the same question often but for different reasons. Job is looking to face God, he wants to defend himself and demand answers for the injustice he is experiencing. Common wisdom tells him he shouldn't be suffering, he hasn't done anything to deserve it. His friends have been telling him that there must be something he has done that has brought this calamity upon him. Yet he remains confident that he is innocent in this whole ordeal. He is deeply hurt and increasingly frustrated. He is frustrated with God and his friends. Why did God allow this? Where is he? He feels betrayed and abandoned. He seems disoriented. Life just doesn't make sense right now and Job feels like God owes him an answer if not an apology. I think we can relate to Job to some degree. When all hell has broken loose and evil sneers at us, we find comfort in the words of our friend Job.

The story of Job is so fascinating not so much for the answers we find but more so for the questions that remain. It seems as though there is this gigantic question mark made of steel and Job is trying to straighten it out into an exclamation point with his little hammer. It seems too hard of a job for Job. It seems like Job does make a dent but much hammering remains to be done. I think we all have been trying to make a dent with our little hammers, I am not sure we have made much progress.

There will come a day when we will lay down our hammers, for the steel will melt away. Until that day comes, we will labor with our little hammers, we will lament and groan and wait with hope. The day will come when the gigantic question mark of steel will melt away.