Wishing your life away

After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth.
Job 3:1

Job did a lot things right. When he lost everything: his livelihood and his children in Chapter 1. He did not sin. (Job 1:22). He grieved, shaved his head and worshipped but he did not speak "against God by charging God with wrong doing".

In chapter 1 satan makes the accusation that Job is only true to God because God is so good to him. So God lets satan take the good things out of Job's life. Job proved God's confidence to be well placed. Under tremendous pressure, Job bent but he did not break. In chapter 2, satan tries to explain away Job's integrity under fire and implies that Job might not care about his property and children as much as he cares about his own skin. So with God's consent, satan attacks the skin of Job.

Indeed this does push Job to a breaking point.

In chapter 2 verse 9 Job's wife urges her husband to "curse God and die". This is the proof of the pudding of any one's "suffering". Most of humanity is pragmatic in their view of God. Perhaps satan's accusations against Job are based on his observations of humanity. Regardless of one's religion, most people take an attitude towards God that is almost satanic in its pragmatism. The logic is this: if God does good for me I will do good for God, but if serving God does not seem to produce any earthly good then what good is serving God? In the end the most common attitude towards God is one of dark pragmatism.

This is the mind set of Job's wife. Her view was that if God has seemed to fail, curse him and die. Give up. What good is faith anyway? Why hold on to your integrity? What "good" has it done?

Job retorts to his wife, "Shall we accept good from the Lord and not trouble? " He is so balanced. His faith is not based on what God does or does not do. The faith of Job is centered in God. For Job there is just no other option but to serve God. Job's view of God is not based on his circumstances. For Job, God reigns above circumstances.

Trials do hurt, if it didn't hurt it would not be much of a trial. It hurst even more when when those close to you do not understand. Job is about to see that he is alone in this world with a view of God that is not shared by anyone around him. He is surrounded by pragmatists, moralists, legalists and religious zealots. He is in pain, his body suffering from serious boils, he is in mourning over the death of his children and the loss of his finances.

He breaks, he feels sorry for himself - I wish I had never been born. But he does not accuse God of giving him a raw deal.

It is ok to mourn, to grieve and to feel despondent when the pressure of the trial is so great. The only requirement is not to blame God or falsely charge God with evil. Stay loyal to God under pressure.

The day you say, "I wish I had never been born" can be the day of rising to new heights in God. In your darkest hour, don't curse God, if you have ever had faith in the character of God your darkest day will reveal it.