An Emotional Attitude

When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

Job 38:7 (LSB)

We often tend to view our misfortunes as abandonment by God. We want to believe that He doesn't hear us or that He neglects us. But, in reality, this is false. It's a survival instinct that drives us to seek a reason to justify our suffering before God, hoping that He will have pity on us. The mistake we make is believing that our emotional attitude can influence God's mood. Thus, if He were angry with us or had decided to make us suffer because of a sin, He would change His mind.

If God is not a man to lie, He is also not a man to be influenced by our whims. Job, in his situation, had every reason to believe that he was suffering the consequences of his sins – sins that, according to him, he had not committed. And even if he had committed them, they were not the cause of his pain. After all his complaints, when God finally answered him, He did not apologize for making him suffer; God glorified Himself after asking him where he was when He created the world.

What you must understand is that long before Job's birth, even before the creation of the world, God already knew that He would have to test one of His creatures named Job. When the stars, in their brilliance, sang God's glory, you were not yet on the list of God's immediate creations. When the angels gave Him glory and honor with their cries of joy, you were still far away, the world was still far from existing. But God knew that one day you would question Him about your situation. Therefore, know that your complaints can only prove your desire to serve Him, but they cannot make Him change His attitude. So, even when you don't understand what's happening, like Job, have faith in God, for the day will come when He will question you about your patience.

May God's grace and peace be with you.