[Job 1a]
Why won’t God give me what I ask?
Why won’t he answer my prayer?
If only he would go ahead and kill me!
If I knew he would, I would leap for joy,
no matter how great my pain.
I know that God is holy;
I have never opposed what he commands.
To not oppose what you command, Lord – may that likewise be my request above all others. Holy (Revelation 4:8).
…you, my friends, you deceive me like streams
that go dry when no rain comes.Honest words are convincing,
but you are talking nonsense.
You think I am talking nothing but wind;
then why do you answer my words of despair?
You would even roll dice for orphan slaves
and make yourselves rich off your closest friends!
Job’s friends are selling him for the price of keeping their formulas intact. Open my eyes, Jesus (Matthew 9:16-17).
Look me in the face…
May I truly see, Father (2 Kings 6:16-17; Isaiah 35:5). Guide-us (Isaiah 42:16)!
Human life is like forced army service,
like a life of hard manual labor,
like a slave longing for cool shade;
like a worker waiting to be paid.
“Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something.” – The Princess Bride
Remember, O God, my life is only a breath…
You see me now, but …I’ll be gone.
Like a cloud that fades and is gone,
we humans die…
No! I can’t be quiet!
… I have to speak.
My life passes like a shadow, Father – fulfill your promises (Isaiah 40:6-8; Habakkuk 2:3).
My life makes no sense.
Why are people so important to you?
Job’s life made no sense to him (seen as a snapshot) but it has served as a lifeline for all those who were to follow – a tremendous source of comfort and blessing. I pray that my life might in some way however small serve the same purpose, Lord.