13 One day Job’s sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house. 14 A messenger came to Job and said: “The oxen were plowing, and the donkeys were grazing nearby 15 when the Sabeans took them and killed the young men with swords. I alone escaped to tell you.”
16 While this messenger was speaking, another arrived and said: “A raging fire fell from the sky and burned up the sheep and devoured the young men. I alone escaped to tell you.”
17 While this messenger was speaking, another arrived and said: “Chaldeans set up three companies, raided the camels and took them, killing the young men with swords. I alone escaped to tell you.”
18 While this messenger was speaking, another arrived and said: “Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, 19 when a strong wind came from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It fell upon the young people, and they died. I alone escaped to tell you.”
20 Job arose, tore his clothes, shaved his head, fell to the ground, and worshipped. 21 He said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb; naked I will return there. The Lord has given; the Lord has taken; bless the Lord’s name.” 22 In all this, Job didn’t sin or blame God.
Let me hit you with a reality. Life is beautiful and terrible. Somedays it can be these two things and everything in between in the same day only separated by hours. Our world is broken at a very systemic level. Meaning the very systems of the world are broken because guess what we are broken.
Embrace that. You are broken.
It’s beautiful and its terrible. That is what a favorite author of mine, Frederick Buechner says about the world we live in. The original quote goes like this:
“Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don’t be afraid.”
In the scripture above we meet a man named Job and by all things we can tell, Job is a good man who loves his family, friends and above all else loves God. Even God himself affirms that there is no one in all the earth like Job, so he’s doing good with himself.
Then as the saying goes “Everything hits the fan.”
In a span of hours he loses everything, except for himself and his wife. They are the only part of Job’s life that survives this tragedy. This story teaches us not if bad things will happen, but when.
Now this means a couple of things and I want to be very clear. I don’t believe that God is punishing Job. I don’t believe that is how God works because scripture tells us many things about God and this type of behavior I believe in not in God’s character.
Why do I believe that?
Because of Jesus.
Because of what happened on the cross, because of what Christ did for us and the world. Yes beautiful things happen everyday, yes terrible things happen more than every day. Because the world that we exist in is broken so broken that God came down to heal us from the inside out.
This is important because what God did on the cross solidified a truth in the systems of the world. It brought forth resurrection and resurrection means that the worst is NEVER the last thing. Not even death itself can stop God. What’s more is that our God, the one true God is the only God that came down and died for those that deserved death themselves.
Whatever you are facing right now in your life, it pales in comparison to what God can do through the power of Jesus. Resurrection happens everyday. It can happen right now, and is happening now as I speak. God is creating newness in you. You are being made more and more perfect with each passing second.
Here in this world beautiful and terrible things will happen, but don’t be afraid Christ has overcome the world.