- Punishment - And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually. – Job 1:5
If you think bad things happen because God is displeased, you’ve got it all wrong. God doesn’t care what you do.
- Fear - For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me. – Job 3:25
If you manage your fear by engaging in religious activity, you are wasting your time. God doesn’t have your back. - Desire - Behold, my desire is that the Almighty would answer me – Job 31:35
God doesn't give you protection or rewards or punishment, doesn't save you from the devil, send you to hell, or take you to heaven. The only thing you can get from God is truth. To get it, you don’t need a tragedy. You don’t have to pray. You don’t need to sacrifice, flog yourself, crawl over broken glass, go to church, confess, fast, "get right", be born again, or even believe. You just need to want it, whatever it is, whether you like it or not. - Knowing - I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. – Job 42:5
You can’t find the truth just by listening to what some preacher says. Or reading many books. Or even the bible. Sorry, it doesn’t work like that. You have to see it for yourself for it to be real to you. - Truth - the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath. – Job 42:7
You need to quit listening to what everybody says about God, especially what they say about how fucked up things are because everyone doesn't believe the same things they do. Mostly, they have it all wrong.
Job finally got to a place where he just wanted God to answer him. And the answer he got wasn’t really an answer, not like it explained anything at all. But Job experienced God*.
It’s a bit scary. What if you get there, shout into the void, and the only thing you hear is the echo of your voice? What remains of faith? Is there anything left, or is it just the void? Standing at the edge, with no preconceptions about God, do you, like Job, finally see something, or was it all just a mirage?
It’s the Point of Know Return. No one can tell you what the answer is. You have to find it for yourself by forging ahead in spite of your fear, by letting go of everything you think you know about God and religion, and wanting the answer to it all – life, the universe, and everything.
Don’t forget your towel… 😉
And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends – Job 42:10
If you are really, really stuck, try thinking outside of your own needs for a bit. Maybe connect with someone who loves you and is in need themselves. It doesn't have to be a human - heck, even taking the dog for a walk, or watering the plants. Just find something or somebody that needs some attention, a little or a lot. Maybe it's your ex ( heck it could've been your fault ). Just focus on somebody or something else’s needs for a little while. It's worth a shot...
A couple of years ago, a friend of mine had a back operation that left him in extreme pain. He became addicted to opioids and alcohol to handle the pain. He went to rehab about 9 months ago. While in rehab, his wife left him, his marriage dead from a thousand tiny cuts - the chemical addictions were just the last straw. Then, a few days ago, his oldest son was killed in a motorcycle accident.
In the blink of an eye he lost his health, his marriage, and his son.
I wanted to say something that would somehow help him find a way to hang on. He believes in Jesus, says he isn't mad at God. Ok, I'll be mad for both of us. I thought about Job, and all Job’s tragedy and pain. And about Job’s friends who were such miserable comforters, spouting useless aphorisms about the greatness and wisdom and justice and righteousness of God.
So I just asked him how he was doing, and let him talk.
His dad died a month later.
Shankar Vedantam hosts a podcast called Hidden Brain. The fourth episode of the “Happiness 2.0” series is called “Happiness 2.0: The Reset Button”. It’s a discussion of the psychological aspects of “awe”, and the role this emotion could have played in human evolution. The CliffsNotes summary is we naturally spend a great deal of emotional and mental energy thinking about ourselves. An experience that generates awe can be like a reset button on our emotions, helping us see our place in a connected whole – in our small social groups, and in a larger view of our place in humanity, our relation to nature, and even the universe. We feel smaller, and stop focusing on ourselves for a moment. This can have a profound effect on the decisions we make, directions we go after such an event, and – especially in times of great duress – can bring us out of deep emotional distress.
It seems Job had some awe-inspiring experience that punched his emotional reset button, and which led him out of the emotional pit he had fallen into. Perhaps anything that inspires such awe could be called God.
The podcast is worth a listen. If you want to skip to the stuff about awe, it begins at 14:56 in the episode.