why is this happening?...

james says we need patience especially when problems are unexplainable.  the classic example he gives is in james 5.11 (msg), you’ve heard, of course, of job's staying power.

the giants and patriots are playing this sunday in the football super bowl but job played in the super bowl of suffering.  he won the championship.  he was the wealthiest man that ever lived.  he had everything going for him.  in a two-day period, everything fell apart.  he went bankrupt, his children were murdered, he got an incurable, deadly disease that was very painful.  you think you’ve got problems, he had a rough day!  he lost his family, his friends, his finances.  he was suffering materially, physically, socially – every kind of way. 

then one day his wife comes to him and says, “job, just curse GOD and die!”  now that’s a support system!  GOD allowed the devil to take away everything in his life except a nagging wife.  the worst part of job’s suffering was that he had absolutely no idea why it was happening.  for 37 chapters in the book of job, GOD doesn’t even talk to him and tell him why it’s happening.  there was no apparent reason for his misfortune.  of all people, job had the privilege to say, “why me?”

life is not fair!  that is true.  GOD never said it would be fair.  a lot of things in life just don’t make sense.  maybe we’ll never understand on this side of heaven.  job didn’t understand.  in all of those unexplained problems, job maintained his faith.  sometimes we just can’t figure out our problem.

when circumstances are uncontrollable, when people are unchangeable, and when problems are unexplainable you really need patience. 

just a thought from the front porch…