By Marti Kastner
“But as for me, I know that my redeemer lives, and that he will stand upon the earth at last.” Job 19:25
I love that this verse comes from Job, and not from the “after God restored everything” part of Job , but from the “in the middle of the worst nightmare ever” part of Job.
Job was righteous in God’s sight. That fact doesn’t change throughout the entire book of Job. Job was righteous.
But also notice that Job lamented. He hurt and he let God know about it. He wrestled through the complexity of “why do bad things happen to good people” right there in God’s holy company–without apology. And God called Job righteous.
God invites us to lament. The key, though is to lament with Him.
We are to bend HIS ear toward our hurts and problems. He really wants us to. Just like we patiently listen to our children spill out their heart aches and frustrations, our Redeemer lovingly listens to our pained words and desperately wants to help.
Prayer is a time for praises, but it’s also a time for us to lament–to cry out about all that unfair, and awful, and terrifying, and sad stuff that inundates our lives and this fallen world everyday. God can take it. He’s sitting on His throne ready to listen.
flawednforgiven 