This is a day of quiet. The world holds its breath.
What have we done? The One who was our hope–that GOOD man–dead. If we were honest, we would say it, even if it was the last thing we ever said: He didn’t deserve it (say it)…and WE killed Him.
Go ahead, try to make excuses. We didn’t know any better. It’s true. Still. There is no excuse. He fed us. he healed us. He taught us. He loved us. He showed us the Father. (Let him who has ears to hear, hear.)
Didn’t Job realize something similar about God? Well, after God set him straight. If anyone suffered and had a right to complain, it was Job. God told him to shut up and listen. Not to those dopes, those know-it-alls who thought they could comfort Job with their simple answers. Talk about proof-texting. No. Just listen, Job–to God.
I bet Job held his breath. Probably felt like an idiot when God explained to him Who God is, what He has done, not just for Job but for the whole world. By the end of that speech, maybe Job was crying, his head bowed down, tears dripping off the end of his nose. Poor guy–Kleenex hadn’t been invented yet, and his robe was probably filthy. If he wiped his snot on his sleeve, maybe smeared dirt right across his tear-stained face. Gross. Good thing mirrors (probably) weren’t invented yet either.
But after that, Job’s life got better. Post tenebras lux.
It’s sure dark in this in-between, not-knowing place. How long, O Lord? Where are you?
It seems like I’ve been here before. Hello, darkness, my old friend. I know it’s not good to hold my breath, but the weight on my chest feels so HEAVY. Wait…is it still there, or did I just imagine it? I could swear that heaviness was pinning me right down to the ground. My eyes are squeezed shut, even though it’s so dark. I’ll just open one a very little bit, take a peek. Huh. The dark isn’t as dark as I thought. If I open both eyes and let them adjust, looking toward the east (I think–my compass hasn’t been working too well), it looks lighter over there. Maybe I can breathe just a little, and keep watching.
What’s that!? Did I hear someone whisper? It sounded like, “I’m not a GOOD man, I AM a GOD-man.”
I think I’ll shut up and listen. Like Job.
Beautiful.