God can handle your self-pity
I love cooking, and I especially enjoy trying out new recipes. There’s nothing more satisfying than following a clear set of instructions and then pulling a picture-perfect dish out of the oven or pressure cooker.
Sometimes I wish life were more like a recipe, and that if you followed the proper steps, it would mean everything turns out well in the end. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. We can do everything right in life, and disaster can still hit us.
Someone who experienced that first-hand is Job. I think he is the person in the Bible I feel most sorry for. He lived a completely righteous and upright life, fearing God, and yet he lost everything, through no fault of his own (Job 1).
What then unfolds can only be described as a waterfall of raw and brutal honesty. For twenty long chapters (Job 3-31), Job is drowning in self-pity, listing all his despair, complaints, and self-righteousness. He even goes so far as to curse the day he was born (Job 3:3-7).
Honestly, who can blame him?
If anyone had a right to complain, it was Job.
Almost every verse in the chapters of Job’s lament includes the word “I”, “me”, or “my.” Job is completely consumed with his own misery.
But then, from chapter 38, God starts speaking and reminds Job of His majesty, His power, His might. He basically asks Job, “Who are you, compared to Me?”
Suddenly, Job’s perspective changes. His tone softens, and humility begins to flow from his heart:
I am unworthy—how can I reply to You? I put my hand over my mouth. I spoke once, but I have no answer— twice, but I will say no more. – Job 40:4-5 NIV
And:
I know that You can do all things; no purpose of Yours can be thwarted. – Job 42:2 NIV
Job’s focus has shifted; his eyes are now on God instead of his misery.
God can handle your self-pity, direct your laments to Him, and He will meet you right where you are at.
But be aware, when He does, you might soon find yourself praising Him instead of complaining, and that’s exactly the point.😉
