A
difficult book to interpret at best, Job is a mix of prose, poetry, and folk tale
with language that is ambiguous for translators. As it is told he was the
unwitting player in a bet between God and Satan. Along for the ride are the
equally unwitting friends of Job who harangue him unmercifully in the midst of
his severe trials. Although Job questioned God's justice and motives, he never
once doubted God's power. In this epilogue, he now realizes that, as with all of
us, he was questioning God without having all the information and he is remorseful.
He repents of his doubt and says that in the past he had heard God in his ear
but now my eye sees you. FINALLY Job is restored and to even
greater wealth and health after so many chapters of disaster, scorn, and pain.
God pays off after winning the bet. Is the message of Job perseverance? He
sought God's answers and help and received both. What is left out of this
particular segment is God’s rebuke of Job’s friends [Job 42:7-9] who
were not the least supportive throughout his travails and were spared harsher
punishment than a ritual sacrifice because of Job’s awakening to the knowledge
that we mere mortals cannot know the mind of God.
The Psalmist sings a song a faith in action
that reminds us that God is always present and hears us when we call. We may
not have the fairy-tale ending of Job in this life, but our times in affliction
will be rewarded if we press on even as we sometimes struggle with our trust
as doubts creep in.
Bartimaeus also withstood the scorn of the crowds, first just generally
because he was a beggar (not unlike us today with our impatience with
"street" people), and secondly because he was delaying their journey
to Jerusalem. He, too, persevered in getting the attention of Jesus. Then all
he had to do was ask and he was restored to fullness through his sight.
Do I seek the Lord first when
I'm in trouble? Do I ask for what I really need or only what I merely want? Am
I specific or vague: just give me…I want…fix my life, fix the world. For Job
and Bartimaeus the afflictions were obvious. Yet it was through their asking
that their faith was displayed, however imperfect. Through our questions,
through our fears, God is with us and knows our hearts. Our faith will make us
well in many and various ways unexpected and often only known in hindsight. An
important point, for me, is that even with Job’s restoration to twice as much
fortune as before, I’m certain that his prior losses still caused some
continuing grief, as well as some hurt from the maltreatment by friends in his
adversity, whatever his new understanding of God. Restoration of the wellness
of our souls is always available to us also. All we have to do is ask saying Lord,
I want to see (and taste and hear).
LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
Leader: ~ Gracious, Merciful God, in these difficult times
let us, in faith, call out Your name to be saved from our fears, be ransomed by
our trust, and to forever rejoice in Your Greatness. May the radiance of Your
presence shine upon our faces and through our eyes as a beacon to draw us all nearer
to You.
Christ, Most Holy Teacher
RESPONSE: Heal and open the eyes of our souls
~
Gracious, Merciful God, empower us to hold fast, to stand strong for truth,
mercy, and justice before the leaders of our World, our Country, and our
Community. Strengthen us to prod open the eyes of those blinded by
self-interest, political machinations, and other oppressive conditions that do
not fulfill Your love for all Your people. We pray especially for:
Christ, Most Holy Teacher
Heal and open the eyes of our souls
~ Gracious, Merciful God, comfort all who are
burdened with serious illness, addiction, and/or emotional distress, and grant
energy and peace to those who give them care. We now join our voices to pray
aloud for those in need…
Christ, Most Holy Teacher
Heal and open the eyes of our souls
~
Gracious, Merciful God, in the midst of sorrow for our temporary loss, we give
joyful thanksgiving for the glorious welcome of our loved ones into Your
eternal kingdom. We pray especially for:
Christ, Most Holy Teacher
Heal and open the eyes of our souls
~ Gracious, Merciful God, we pause in this moment to offer You our
other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud
or silently…
Christ, Most Holy Teacher
Heal and open the eyes of our souls
~
Gracious, Merciful God, we offer our thanksgivings for all who are anointed to
lead us in worship, who tell us of the former things of You that have come to
pass, show us by example of prayer and preaching how to live in this life, and
walk with us to discover the Word that will lead us to You. We pray especially
for:
Christ, Most Holy Teacher
Heal and
open the eyes of our souls
The Celebrant adds: Lord
of Grace and Goodness, help us to regain our spiritual sight and be made well
through the renewal of our faith by growing our desire to love, serve, and
trust You with our whole hearts, minds, and souls. We ask through Jesus, our
Teacher and Great High Priest; and the Holy Spirit, our Sanctifier and Source
of Wisdom; who with You are One God, now and forevermore. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment