I loathe my life;
I will give free utterance to my complaint;
I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.
2 I will say to God, Do not condemn me;
let me know why you contend against me.
3 Does it seem good to you to oppress,
to despise the work of your hands
and favor the designs of the wicked?
4 Have you eyes of flesh?
Do you see as man sees?
5 Are your days as the days of man,
or your years as a man’s years,
6 that you seek out my iniquity
and search for my sin,
7 although you know that I am not guilty,
and there is none to deliver out of your hand?
If you have ever tried to put toothpaste back in a tube, you will know that it was best left inside the tube to begin with. So it is with words. Job had initially reacted well to the tragedies that befell him, refusing to curse God and die, but upon further reflection and perhaps being beaten down by the ill informed advice of his friends, he let loose with complaints directed toward Almighty God, never a good idea.
When calamities strike one at a time, we can mostly deal with it but when they come in battalions, we are outnumbered and outgunned. Words like this are more likely in those moments. We know we deserve death for our sins but sometimes talk ourselves into thinking we deserve better than the Lord has given us. If you feel like Job right now, take a minute to preach the gospel to yourself. Jesus died so you could be forgiven for the words and thoughts that enter your head. Now you can say with certainty…
I love my life.
Pastor Brad Boyer
Cape Community Church