In the grip of intense suffering, Job found that the help of his best-intentioned friends only made the pain more perplexing. The lessons to be learned during God’s silence could only be learned in solitude. For a while, Job had to be left alone.
Until we despair concerning our own “gods, the work of men’s hands,” we are hardly ready to appreciate the true God. If we’re not willing to let go of the created things we’ve been clinging to, we’re not ready to receive what the Creator has for us.
From the Greek for “lawlessness,” “anomie” has come into popular usage as a description of the “alienation” felt by individuals when they sense that the structures of society are collapsing. It’s that sickening feeling that the world is coming apart.
Dressed even in the best behavior of our present spiritual condition, we are not fit to be at the banquet table of our Maker. We must be converted. Deep change must take place — so deep that it can only grow out of what is called “godly sorrow.”
If we thank the preacher for chastising us now and then, our appreciation is probably for an emotional experience that somehow made us feel better for having been chastised. And having dabbled in religion, we go our way undisturbed and unchanged.
Whatever is “right here” can seem much more real than anything “over there.” But let’s be candid: if the lesser things seem more real than the greater, that’s a reality that we have helped to create by the things we’ve chosen to think about.
Solomon reached this conclusion long ago: “The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it” (Proverbs 10:22). It takes trust to believe that this is true, and that God’s will is better — really better — than any alternative.
Life is a long journey, but although the steps that take us toward God are many, they are taken one at a time. The key to life is managing the moments. “Take care of the minutes, and the hours will take care of themselves” (Lord Chesterfield).
It’s urgent that we prepare our hearts as Ezra did (Ezra 7:10). It’s time to think seriously about what matters most. What kind of people do we intend to be? “When a man does not know what harbor he is making for, no wind is the right wind” (Seneca).
How much obedience matters to us is indicated by the use we’ve made of the light we already possess. Does the day-to-day evidence of our decisions show that we’re thankful for this light? If not, there’s little point in seeking further light.