#DailyDevotion Bane and blessing, pain and pleasure, by the cross are sanctified
Job 38: 1Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: 2 “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? 3 Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me. 4 “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. 5 Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it?
Like Job, we often may find ourselves questioning the Lord. Why did he let this happen? Why me? Was the Lord sleeping when this occurred? While it may be normal to ask such things, the Lord has a terrible answer for Job and I don’t think we’d want to hear the Lord answer as Job did.
The Lord’s answer to Job unfortunately can be our answer to questions about all the evil in our lives that we wonder, “Why me?”. Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Indeed, with questions digging into the question of why is evil happening to me spring from digging into the counsel of God without knowledge. We question because we do not know what’s going on.
The questions the Lord asks Job we still look into today without satisfactory results even with all our science. The Lord has his own reasons for things. If you were there when he created the universe, laid out the earth’s foundations, determined how big it was going to be etc. then possibly you might be able to comprehend the mind of God. But none of us were.
Which brings us to another marvelous mystery, the place where the Lord points us to in all our suffering, in all our questioning of God’s will, the crucifixion of Jesus. All our questions of our sufferings, all our questions about evil are answered by the suffering and death of Jesus on the cross. For on the cross, the Lord God, who has become man, now suffers innocently for the guilty. There on the cross all our griefs, guilt and shame are born the one who could answer all of the Lord’s questions to Job.
Dressed for action like a man, the Lord God as man suffers and dies. Whatever we are undergoing which we think is unjust, the Lord answers it with Jesus on the cross. Whenever we think we are unjustly being punished, the cross of Jesus is God’s answer. When doubts about God’s love for us and if he is on our side come up, we can remember, “you killed the author of life, “you crucified the Lord of glory” and believe that we are participating in our suffering the suffering of Christ Jesus who has sanctified our suffering by the cross. The Lord is using our suffering now for his glory and for our good. We have the cross of Christ to assure us of this.
Heavenly Father, when we darken counsel without knowledge help us to remember the innocent suffering and death of your Son Jesus Christ and grant us faith to believe that our suffering and shame have been sanctified by Jesus on the cross and have purposes beyond our understanding. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.