Today's Reading: Job, Chapter 27
“Explore thyself. Herein are demanded the eye and the nerve.” ~ Walden by Henry David Thoreau
Job continues in his protestation of his friends' assessment of him by proclaiming his innocence. His integrity is all that he has left and he will not let it go.
But then he appears to continue in his discourse by singing Bildad's song (or Eliphaz's or Zophar's).
In essence, the wicked will pay for their deeds and will be left childless and poor. Of course, this is the very thing that has happened to Job who is not evil at all!
This goes to show us how difficult it is to change our way of thinking. The idea that God rewards the good and punishes the bad is so ingrained that Job repeats all of the very arguments that his three friends have made against him.
It is very hard to change our opinions - even if the very opposite is happening to us which refutes those very worldviews!
Human beings are obstinate! At first, we thought that it was just his friends that were so obtuse, but now we see that it is Job as well.
James Fowler posited his six Stages of Faith where he lists stage five as Conjunctive Faith. In this stage we may experience a mid-life crisis. Here, we face the paradoxes of our beliefs such as God punishes the wicked, but I who am innocent am being punished as well.
Moving into a higher stage of faith can be difficult work and Job's resistance in this chapter highlights our own resistance to change.
The beauty of Job is that it provides a balcony view of inconsistencies regarding belief and reality. This allows the reader to see it in Job and then to take a step back to examine our own lives.
As we move through Lent, what are areas of your life, faith or belief on which you hold fast? Have these caused conflict in your relationships or in your own ability to synthesize them with life?
Prayer for the day:
My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore, will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone. Amen.
“The Merton Prayer” from Thoughts in Solitude Copyright © 1956, 1958 by The Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani.
Photo by bill lapp via Flickr.com. Used under the Creative Commons license.
No comments:
Post a Comment