Fourth Pathway – Painstakingly Acquiring Faith –
Part III
Job’s rants against God’s injustice for
forty-one chapters; he triumphantly dismisses his supposed friends whose inane
circular reasoning deepen his torment.
Job did nothing wrong! As an inexplicable
test of his faith, God permits untold wretchedness in Job’s life as he loses
his ten children, all financial and material wealth and even his health as
boils consume his body. As he lives
through this daily misery, Job understandably and forthrightly questions
Almighty God. How could God allow such
an adverse turn of events in Job’s life given Job’s piety, integrity and
faithfulness? Beyond the examples of the
patriarchs and prophets, the book of Job depicts a very personal and
permissible struggle of someone who genuinely has faith in God. Job’s character endures as a powerful example
to any people of good faith who feel similarly mistreated by God. Whether a unique Job-like experience or
extended period of “dark night of the soul,” this rite of passage is a
non-negotiable milestone in anyone’s personal journey of faith.
A gut level question arises when
considering Job’s predicament. Does God
have to humiliate a disciple to prepare him or her for a significant task? Is a life replete with sequentially painful,
disappointing and corrosive events the only means of appreciating God’s
faithfulness? An affirmative answer to
those questions equates with the logic of insisting that one must be a victim
of a car accident to know that it is physically injurious, possibly fatal,
legally detrimental and financially damaging.
Job asks, “Where is God as my life wastes away?” You may ask, “How could Almighty God bless me
with multiple talents and endowments but fails to offer me any venues?” Life can begin to feel as if you are the butt
of an unbelievably cruel joke by day and living within an unending
nightmare. From abandonment to poverty
to struggling to obtain a formal education to divorce to termination to failed
ministry are not a string of pearls.
Rather they are different versions of Hercules’ unending punishment of
carrying the weight of the world. How
does a disciple feel joy though he perpetually and daily carries bags of
cement? Consequentially, Job justifiably
and boldly asks Almighty God, “Do you have eyes of flesh? Do you see as a mortal does?” (Job 10:4)
The Johannine evangelist portrays a
very human Jesus. Concerned for the
crowd’s hunger after a long day of listening to spiritual teachings in a remote
place, Jesus commandeers a little lad’s lunch and performs the miracle of
feeding five thousand men not counting women and children. Encountering a lame man who had suffered with
paralysis for thirty-eight years at the pool of Siloam, Jesus shows compassion
and heals the man with the stark admonition that he ceases sinning. Jesus buffers Mary Magdalene from Pharisaical
judgment and condemnation. Before
demonstrating the power of God by calling forth Lazarus from the tomb and
resurrecting him, Jesus shows a very human side. Spurned by the frank criticisms of Mary and
Martha about His delay in hastening to Bethany upon learning about Lazarus’
near fatal illness, Jesus stands near the tomb and weeps. Fully God and fully human, Jesus of Nazareth
stands among a grieving group of people and cries just as they cry. In the Garden of Gethsemane on the night on
which Judas betrays Him, Jesus becomes exceedingly sorrowful even to the point
of death. With brilliant literary
flourish, the Gospel writers describe Jesus sweat as being like drops of
blood. His agony compels Him thrice to
petition the Heavenly Father to remove the bitter cup of crucifixion. Following His final meal with His disciples,
this scene is one of the most luminous illustrations of someone undergoing “the
dark night of the soul.” As He receives
empowerment of the Holy Spirit, Jesus rises and perseveres through the horrific
events that soon follow.
A man with an intense intellect and
equal formidable intention to convert the entire Gentile world to faith in
Jesus Christ, Paul traverses whatever terrain, weather and conditions he
encounters to accomplish his grand missionary ideals. He details fights with wild beasts, death
plots, famine, shipwreck and other harsh situations in his letters to the
churches. Paul resolves these hardships
are worthwhile and pale in comparison to the overarching objective of sharing
Christ’s love with people who remain unaware of it. Not surprisingly, Paul lapses into depression
after a while (2 Corinthians 1:8-11). He
despairs to the point of death; in fact, he believes that he had been given a
death sentence. Considering Paul’s
intention to atone for his misguided missions of eradicating new disciples of
Christ as Jewish heretics, he is bewildered that God permits such
hardships.
Mysticism is a component of Christian
and spiritual experience in which a disciple or pilgrim embraces hardship and
mystery as a means of achieving individual union with God. St. John of the Cross wrote the prevailing book,
The Dark Night of the Soul, the predominant
characterization of the spiritual crisis necessary to find God. Countless volumes collect dust on library
shelves throughout the world that record this intimate rite of passage of
anyone who genuinely desires to divest from materialism. Oneness with God necessitates transcending
earthly limitations that entangle a person’s mind and soul. Hence, Jesus of Nazareth exhorts His
followers, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all
these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:25-34) Rather than being an
unjust punishment, “the dark night of the soul” propels a disciple’s toward
complete communion with God.
Two biblical passages illustrate this
process. The prophets allude to God’s
use of refiner’s fire to burn dross away from gold, silver and other precious
metals to increase their wealth. To
eradicate dross, the refiner heats his oven to temperatures that would singe
eyebrows within seconds of opening the door.
He knows the dross has been burned away when he can see a clear image of
himself in the metal. Likewise, God
permits trials to determine which disciples He utilizes for major tasks. By “major,” I do not mean wealthy or famous. Grandparents who subsist on meager resources
in small house but assume guardianship of nine of their grandchildren have done
something “major” to expand the kingdom of God.
One of the nine is the author of the author of this blog entry. My grandparents subordinated their personal
desires and needs to embrace the difficult task of rearing the nine of us. As people who genuinely relied upon God, they
accepted this incredible burden of love.
Hence, God looked into their hearts and saw an image of His unfailing
love.
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