WHY ME, LORD?

by Jim Corner

Is it just me or have you noticed that good people often suffer and bad people often prosper? I know the answer to that question because it has dogged mankind from his earliest existence. The book of Job deals with the idea of human suffering. While located in the middle of the Old Testament, many believe that Job is the oldest book in the Bible.

Listen to the Biblical description of Job in the very first verse of the book: "This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil." We also read that Job was blessed by the Lord with 10 children and great amounts of sheep and cattle. One day the devil was talking with God and Satan said that the only reason why Job was faithful was because the Lord has blessed him in such a great way. Satan argued that if Job's riches were taken away, he would renounce his faith in God. The Lord allowed all of Job's children to be killed and for all of his wealth to be lost and yet, Job still honored God. Satan then said that if Job suffered physically he would curse God so the Lord allowed the devil to afflict Job with boils from head to toe.

Chapters 3-37 deal with the way Job handled this awful situation. He is joined by four individuals who believe in the 'theory of retribution'. This teaches that if you are good you will receive good and that if you are bad you will receive evil. They are all convinced that the reason why Job lost his health and wealth is because Job had been disobeying the Lord. Even Job was angry with the Lord as he said "God has wronged me" (Job 19:6). While his faith wavers, it never deserts him and in the end the Lord blesses Job with twice as many blessings as he had had before.

Is life fair? The answer is a resounding NO and this is why we need to place our faith in Jesus. During the course of your lifetime problems will be an unwelcomed companion. As we keep our eyes on Jesus we are aware that the day will come when our problems will cease. The Lord promises a home in heaven to all who are faithful in following Him (John 14:1-3).

I don't have all of the answers to this question of suffering but I know two things: first, we need to continually live in eternity, that is, we need to realize that this life is brief and eternity is not long, it is forever. The Apostle Paul would write in Romans 8:18 that "our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." Heaven is not a myth but is real. Second, I really don't want God to be fair with me. You see, if God gave us what we deserved we would all be condemned. Through Jesus Christ I receive not what I deserve but what I desire.

The path of life is cluttered with problems but if we will be faithful as Job was, one day problems will only be a distant memory.

©2001 Buckingham Road Church of Christ