Job cannot pretend, and there's nothing for Job to remain calm about. So, there's no composure in his voice, only desperation. He wants an audience with God. Here's the wisdom in that desire. He doesn't want to talk with God because he's got things figured out. No, the opposite is true. He doesn't know what's going on because his understanding of the world cannot explain what is happening to him.
If he could just stand before God, he thinks, and say out loud what's in his heart, everything would change. He's convinced this is what he needs, even if it costs him everything.
We're supposed to hear Job's desperation. At the same time, it's a bold kind of faith. Not the kind that avoids hard questions. Job believes God can handle his anguish. So, he brings it.
Thankfully, what Job longed for, we are told we already have. We don't risk life and death like he felt he had to.
The book of Hebrews tells us to "approach the throne of grace with confidence."
Confidence? With all our doubt, grief, anger, and confusion, how can we be confident? The answer is because the invitation isn't dependent on the put-togetherness of your life. But because grace has made a way.
Job was willing to risk everything just to speak to God. We are invited to come freely.
But here's the tension: We often don't.
We filter and edit our prayers. I wonder if it's because it's easier to sound faithful than actually be faithful. Faith, though, isn't pretending all is fine. It's trusting that God meets us even in what's not fine.
When I read Job, I think that God does not shut the door on our pain. And Hebrews reminds us that the door to God is already open. So, come as you are. Say the thing you've been holding back. Bring the questions and speak your grief.
You don't need permission because the throne we approach is a throne of grace.
Stay blessed...john
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