Nicole D. Hayes, Founder, Voices Against the Grain

No, not of me. This is not about me. But perhaps along life’s journey, you’ve spoken incorrectly or you have not spoken the truth about our loving God. With recent disasters and tragedies it is plausible to behave so particularly if our maturity in, intimacy with and revelation about God is lacking.

The title comes from words spoken by God in Job 42:7 which reads 7After the LORD said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Termanite, “I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.” (New International Version) In verses 3 to 6 of Chapter 42, Job says this to the Lord which leads up to the Lord’s response in verse 7:

3“You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?’ (After repeating the Lord’s words, Job continues) Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. 4“You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you will answer me.’ 5My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. 6Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.”

In reading Job’s responses in verses 3 to 6, I can feel his contriteness and humility. In his contriteness and in reading the previous chapters leading up to chapter 42, I also sense Job’s awe of how big, how great, how wise beyond our finite understanding is our God. Job realized that he could never even begin to govern God’s affairs — and neither can we.

In witnessing others’ trials whether illness, troubled relationships, financial hardships or injustices inflicted upon them, how many times have we blamed God? More confounding is the people who blame God who don’t even believe in God. Either He is blamed for not existing or He is blamed for existing and not doing something to intervene in that person’s unfortunate situation. Either way, God is depicted as mean, distant, disinterested and falling down on His job (negligent). The infamous words, “How could such a loving God allow such evil or allow such bad things to happen?” spring from the lips of finite beings who can barely begin to comprehend the wisdom of God as he tells us in Isaiah 55:8-9:

8For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Seeing all the suffering and loss that Job endured from losing his children, cattle, property, and his body covered with painful sores, Job’s wife said that he should “Curse God and die!” (Job 2:9) for keeping his integrity and faith in God. To her remark, Job replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” (Job 2:10) Job’s friends who the Lord references in Job 42:7 had taken the appearance of things as God’s wrath unhinged upon Job. Have you thought this as well when viewing another’s suffering or trials? Have you spoken incorrectly or untruthfully about God?

Certainly, we do not wish harm, illness, devastation, loss, injustices, or violence upon anyone. Yet, when things occur we seek to understand why God would allow such incidents. Particularly if the person has lived an honorable and faithful life to the Lord such as God’s servant Job.

What did Job do to bring these hardships upon himself? What acts was Job guilty of to justify these sucker punches from God, leaving him defenseless? Well, we understand from reading Job 1 and 2, Satan asks God’s permission to attack the Lord’s “blameless and upright servant” confident that after he was through, Job would surely curse God. But Job did not. In fact, it was in this trouble that Job’s contriteness and awe afforded him an even greater revelation about God—something not possible without undergoing the trial. Job seems to reference this aspect in verse 5 when he says, “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.”

The LORD also blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the first (Job 42:12).

God is good. He is love, He is kindness. His mercy endures forever. Yet in all this, we are the least equipped to understand all of God’s ways by which He chooses to display His mercy, refine us, purify us, or reveal Himself more deeply to us for His purposes. In my journey with Him, I have come to understand this more and more.

Heavenly Father, please forgive us for moments of rash judgments made about You in our frustration, hurts, disappointment or suffering. Forgive us for when we have spoken or thought incorrectly or untruthfully about You. You who laid the earth’s foundations, who marked off its dimensions, who has given orders to the morning and shown the dawn its place, who knows where light and darkness dwells and can show them to their respective places—Your works are too wonderful for our comprehension. Your wisdom and knowledge of such things compels us to withdraw our accusatory finger pointing and draws us to repentance. Your Presence in all things is beyond our comprehension.

You are God and God alone. For this reason, we remain thankful that You are the Designer of our lives and whatever situations we face. Mature us and may we make every effort to draw nearer to You and persevere to grow in knowledge of You as we trust Your Divine providence. And we know that in all things You work for the good of those who love You, who have been called according to Your purpose—however You choose for this to look. All to Your Glory.

Thank you for loving us and extending us grace in our shortcomings. In Jesus’s Name we pray,

Amen. 

Nicole D. Hayes is the founder of Voices Against the Grain, a bold teaching ministry launched in May 2013. Nicole’s purpose in creating Voices Against the Grain is to be light in darkness, to boldly instruct truth amid confusion so as to bring clarity and restoration.

Learn more about Nicole D. Hayes here.