Who Am I?

"What are mortals anyway, that you bother with them,
  that you even give them the time of day?
That you check up on them every morning,
  looking in on them to see how they're doing? Job 7:17 (Msg)

Job was having a bad day, and it was showing. Read the rest of this chapter in the Message Translation, and you will find that Job has a right ding-dong with God, and doesn’t mince his words either. The cheek of Job shaking his finger at the Almighty Creator of the universe, and yet he forgets himself for a while and takes out all his pent up grief on the one who is love, and who deserves Job’s anger least- God. Ok so Job is having a really bad time, and lost everything except his own life, but why take it out on God?

Can you not see yourself in the words of Job? Have you never questioned God, or badgered Him because your life has not followed the course you wanted, or thought you deserved? Being honest, I know I have, and sometimes still do. Is that a sign of a lack of faith? I don’t think so, but it is a sign of my frustration and annoyance that God hasn’t handled my problems well enough either. Job didn’t have anyone else to lay his troubles on. His three friends were no good to him, and we have come to know them as “Job’s Comforters”. Useless in a crisis. We can’t really come down hard on Job, because he couldn’t ring up the ‘Samaritans’ or some counselling service. he was on his own. Except for God that is, so what does he do? He lays into God like He was one of his friends who would care. Exactly. God was his closest friend, and way down deep he knew it.

The lesson is this: When things go wrong big time, and you don’t have a friend to talk to who would understand, then shout at God! He will take it, and not turn it back on you in some form or revenge attack. He is your friend, and the best one you will ever have, so give it both barrels. It’s not irreverent. It’s not out of place. It’s called prayer. The difference is that we don’t see it that way because it isn’t worded in the usual ‘churchy’ phrases. However, like Job, we can all tell the difference between the shallow surface level ‘churchy phrased’ prayers, and a gutteral cry from the depths of the heart, to the only person who truly understands, and who can also keep your secret. My true friend, and yours too!