Job's Story: Where's God's Protection?

My granddaughter, Sara—Sara without an H she would tell you—has a real heart for the Lord, for which her grandparents are very glad. This past summer, she and her dad were sitting in the floor of her room playing.

“Dad,” she asked, out of the clear blue sky, “do you feel God’s protection?”

A bit startled, my son replied, “Well, yes, Sara, I do.”

“I do too,” she said, and happily went back to playing.

Now that story makes a warm grandmother memory! I’m thankful Sara felt God’s protection. But in September of this year, Sara came down with Swine flu. She’s still recovering and under a doctor’s care 7 weeks later.

Where was God’s protection when that little undetectable virus entered Sara’s body? Will Sara ever question God’s protection? Do you? I certainly have. Where was God's protection when as a young bride of four months I was in a car accident that left me bedridden for six weeks? Or when my husband caught bacterial meningitis? The list goes on.

A Bible character named Job had every reason to feel safe and secure in God’s protection. He had 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 donkeys and oxen, 7 sons, 3 daughters, and one nagging wife. Yet, in one day’s time he lost everything but his nagging wife. You may be familiar with his well-known response to his losses. In Job 1:21 he said:

“The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away.
May the name of the Lord be praised.”

Now wait a minute. Job said God is both a giver and a taker. If we think about it from our prayer lives, we know God says yes and no. But can we really call God a taker?

Job’s nagging wife thought so. Soon after the deaths of Job’s children and the loss of his fortune, Job was afflicted with boils. Mrs. Job, in her despair, asked, “Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die.” Job reflected on her conclusion to “curse God and die” with a penetrating question of his own, one with which we should all wrestle. Job 2:10 asks, “Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?”

Job said, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. May the name of the Lord be praised.”

Do you find it hard to rest comfortably in the arms of God? Just when you think you’ve got him figured out, He turns in another direction? Is God a giver or a taker? Usually, we answer that question based on our life circumstances—at the moment. But we need a heavenly perspective. Only God knows what he’s doing through the events of our lives. Only He knows how to transform us into Christ-likeness and move us forward on the road to His house. His pace may seem too slow or so fast it makes our heads spin. But the choice isn’t ours to make.

“Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?”

Job learned to accept God’s divine wisdom—but only after he’d verbally wrestled with God over his circumstances. In Job 38: 4 God asked Job a profound question: “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundations? Tell me if you understand.”

For the next 125 verses, God makes mincemeat of Job’s reasoning. In Job 40:1 God asks, “Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him?”

Job then responds, “I spoke once, but I have no answer.” Then in 42:2, Job says, “I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted…Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.”

“Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” To do so is to tell God how our lives should transpire in order to please us. Sorry, but it's all about Him.

The God of the Bible: The Greatest Mystery Ever

The God of the Bible is disarmingly unpredictable. The person who wants a nice, rational God with consistent answers to their prayers will be disappointed to find that He's a God of paradox instead. I learned that the hard way—through life experiences.

By the time I was grown, I thought I knew God intimately. I also thought I knew the rules of the game: obey the Ten Commandments, pray, read the Bible, go to church. In return, I would enjoy God's protection and provision. Good would come from evil, right would prevail, and my parade would never get rained out.

What a jolt to discover that I was subject to the same discouragements, travesties of justice, and tragedies that befall all of us at one time or another. Where was God's protective shield? Did it matter that I was a Christian? But I wasn't willing to give up on God so readily. I had fallen in love with my Maker at an early age, and despite the twists and turns of life, I knew this mystery had an answer.

In my book, Living Between the Ditches: When God Makes No Sense, I reveal my conclusions. I wish I could tie up my concept of God with a pretty ribbon and present Him to you in a beautifully gift-wrapped box. But when you think about it, God didn't exactly present His one and only Son that way, either. Jesus was born in a cattle stall—or cave—to parents whose character had been questioned by their townspeople and without even enough clout to get a room in a nice inn. Although we'd like to think of Jesus as handsome (the Bible says he wasn't "comely"), charismatic ("Isn't this the carpenter's son?"), and popular (He was betrayed by a friend and the crowds cried, "Crucify him!"), Jesus was an itinerant preacher supported by love offerings and without a bed to call his own.

Since Jesus was and is part of the Godhead, has existed forever, and made our world (see John chapter 1), you would expect a more lavish lifestyle (He owns the cattle on a thousand hills) and a bit more acclaim (Lord of Lords, and King of Kings). Jesus claimed that He and the Father were one and the same. So, if Jesus' defied all expectations of what He would be like, certainly His Father is not easily boxed by our human frames. God is masterfully complex.

In researching the God of the Bible I discovered a paradox that remained true from Genesis to Revelation: We can know God. God is mystery. I also discovered the rich meaning of this truth, how it enhanced instead of diminished my faith, and how much more I cherished my relationship with Him. God's mystery is majesty; his presence is overpowering. We can both know Him intimately and not know Him well at all. Sound absurd?

In the next installment, I'll share the main story from the Bible that helped me understand my dilemma with the God of the Bible.

Amazing Myra Norwell

Myra, wife of Pastor Frank, doesn't appear in Living Between the Ditches: When God Makes No Sense, until chapter 7. Since there are only 12 chapters in the book, the reader might think she's a minor character. However, Myra plays a crucial role in the story. But for those of you who haven't read it, I'll leave you to decipher that clue.

Myra bonds with the reader immediately. What's not to like? She's warm, affectionate, a good listener, and compassionate. Myra had been Layton's second mother as he grew up, and now, he guessed, she was his only mother—at least, the only one who knew him (p. 83). But in his preoccupation with Brianne's surgery, Layton hadn't even asked about her when Pastor Frank and he were talking during the surgical procedure. Now he felt guilty.

Myra put Layton at ease. Not into the sport of keeping a record of wrongs, Myra waved his concerns away. She knew what it was like to be absorbed in one's own family problems, and as we find out, she's more than just sympathetic with Brianne's disease. Myra knows at a depth most of us don't care to reach. Her comfort is with the comfort we have received from God, who comforts us in our troubles (1 Cor. 1:4).

Myra, it seems, has become a good friend to Amy. As Myra and Amy leave the hospital for "a girl's night out," Layton's not sure how he feels about this friendship. Betrayed? Jealous? But as he waits for their return, he's got a bigger problem to ponder. Why have Myra's "ups and downs" seem to have brought her closer to God while in his own pain God has grown more distant?

Myra's counsel over the coming weeks would prove critical to Layton's coming to grips with his mother's Alzheimers and learning to relate to her in terms of her needs rather than his own. Serving his mother proves satisfying, even when she thinks Layton is his brother Kyle.

My favorite Myra lines are these:
"Saint Paul chose contentment whatever the circumstances. He didn't write that because he had a life of comfort and ease. He wrote the letter from prison, of all places! Paul had learned contentment because he first learned gratitude. Remember, he started his letter with, 'I thank my God ... Did you know,' Myra continued, 'that it's almost impossible to feel anxiety and gratefulness at the same time?" (p. 148)

I love that thought! May I dwell on it tonight as I go to sleep and as I wake to a new workday. Thank you, Myra, for helping me feel God's strength as my refuge (p. 148).

The Delightful Dyers

My favorite characters in my book Living Between the Ditches were not the hero or the heroine—Layton and Amy—nor their precious 4-year-old Brianne. Surely it would have been Pastor Frank or his wife Myra (the subject of my next and yet unwritten post).

Surprisingly, it's the Dyers, Amy's parents. I'm surprised because when we first meet Jan and Phil, they are the starched perfectionists who kiss on the cheek and have impeccable table manners. To some degree they helped create Amy's willingness to take the blame for the breakup of her marriage and not to fight for it. Amy was taught compliance and conformity.

Then, during Amy's college years her parents become Christians—the radical type who talk about their faith! Amy is turned off by their zeal yet aware that something or Someone has changed them for the better. Jan's favorite expression is uttered several times throughout the book (and even makes it into the Epilogue--oops! don't peek if you haven't gotten there yet): "God is up to something!"

When retirement comes, the Dyers head for a volunteer mission assignment in Ecuador, which is where we find them in chapter one. Brianne's unscheduled surgery has left them scrambling for plane tickets to Nashville while awaiting a replacement couple. Their delayed arrival gives Layton and Amy time together, time to talk and try to clear the air.

The Dyers are Meme and Mepaw to little Brianne, who adores them. She can't wait to show them her scar, as though it were a prized possession. When they finally get to her house, life is in turmoil and Brianne is in tears.

Layton is pretty sure he knows how Jan and Phil feel about him after the divorce. And it's not good. Instead, they give him a warm reception. The reader is clued in as to why the Dyers react as they do. And then come my favorite lines in the whole book. You can find them at the top of page 147--second paragraph.

The Dyers are the best of what Christianity has to offer—the God of the second chances, forgiver of our sins, and champion of our futures.

Pastor Frank: A Model Minister

Layton's pastor, Rev. Frank Norwell, had baptized him, performed his wedding, and counseled him through his divorce. He had been there for Layton through all his ups and downs, especially when Layton's dad died. So why isn't Layton thrilled to see Pastor Frank in the waiting room during Brianne's surgery?

Pastor Frank's appearance is a stark reminder to Layton that his relationship with God isn't exactly cozy at the moment. Sensing Layton's spiritual struggle, the minister gently probes with the skill of a surgeon for those tender places of the heart, looking for a point of entry. Pastor Frank is a rare blend of caring and confronting. Being a minister of God's comfort is his calling, but he's equally willing to make a person uncomfortable. "How are things between you and God, Layton?" he asks.

It's the last question Layton wants to hear—or answer—yet he can't get it out of his mind. Eventually, Layton will have to deal with it. But first, he must go through some intense pruning of his soul to make it ready for new fruit. Pastor Frank waits and prays. He shares when Layton wants to talk, but he's also happy to listen.

We discover the human side of Pastor Frank quickly. He loves sports—especially Vanderbilt football—and his dear wife Myra. He also knows how to suffer. Pastor Frank doesn't think he's earned any chips with God that he should be able to call in when needed. He deals with adversity like we all must—one step at a time—with a confidence in God that develops over many years of faith in His Person and plan.

Pastor Frank knows what we're up against, and he also knows that the church can't make the difference. There aren't enough hours in a lifetime of church-going to replace a relationship with God honed through daily encounters with Him and His Word.

Pastor Frank knows God without being stuffy or unapproachable. He's comfortable around those who aren't where he may be spiritually. He's not likely to hold a grudge but extremely likely to lend a helping hand. Does this make him a super saint? No.

He worries that he hasn't been the pastor Layton needed. He thinks his divorce counsel was inadequate. He isn't sure that it's not too late for Layton and Amy, but if not, what to say? Like all of us, Pastor Frank can't make things right for others, but sadly, he can't even make them right in his own family.

Do many people have a minister who is this involved in their lives? Who cares this deeply? Who models such love and compassion? Probably not. But wouldn't you want him to be like Pastor Frank?

Brianne: Our Precocious Preschooler

In Living Between the Ditches: When God Makes No Sense, Brianne is definitely the character who pulls our heartstrings. At four years of age she is a victim of divorce and disease. Brianne has done nothing to cause her circumstances yet she must still deal with the consequences.

Her dad calls her "a tough little girl" and we see her spunk in the way she deals with her upcoming surgery. "Mommy said the doctors are going to make me all better." But we also feel Brianne's pain as she whimpers and sleeps fitfully in the big hospital bed. We want her to be "all better."

We watch as Brianne tries to make sense of the divorce. "Are you still mad at Mommy?" she asks Layton with a child's honesty. When Layton tells her he'll stay with her after she's released from the hospital, her eyes fill with tears as she replies, "But I want you to stay all the time."

We also enjoy Brianne. We chuckle at her playful teasing with her dad, her vivid imagination, and her lively conversation. When Layton calls her Kitten, she usually replies, "Meow." They share pretend picnics and conduct business at her toy cash register.

Brianne tells us more than she could possibly understand. She talks about the regular visits of her new friend, Taylor, which has ominous implications. She's literal with her words, as are all children her age, but readers get the deeper meaning. She names her white bear "Paychunts" because she had to have patience waiting on Daddy to return from his business trips.

Brianne also has childlike faith in God, a mystery to her father who is trapped in a figurative ditch of unbelief. Layton doesn't confront her or try to talk her out of it. In a way he wishes he could believe.

We are talking in our blogs about character development. As I explain in the Acknowledgements, Brianne's character was based on my four year old granddaughter, Sara Elizabeth. Thankfully, Sara is not sick nor are her parents divorced. However, observing Sara with a great deal of intense interest(!) taught me much about a child's mind and reasoning. Also I teach preschoolers at my church. I'll have to admit that they are my favorite students, and I've taught every age group at one time or another (remember I'm a pastor's wife).

So Brianne must be my favorite character, right? Actually, she's not. But we'll discuss that later.

Amy: Villainess or Heroine?

At the beginning of Living Between the Ditches: When God Makes No Sense, Amy is Layton's nemesis— a thorn in his side, a burr in his saddle. Not too original a description but accurate.

Amy is the whining ex-wife who seems unaware of the pain she's caused Layton. Amy appears to care mostly about her needs getting met and having someone to cover the base with Brianne, her daughter, while she goes back to work. I challenge those (few) of you who have finished the book to go back and re-read the first three chapters! How has your impression of Amy changed?

Amy needed to start the book as the villainess because that was Layton's perception of her. After all, we continued to look at life through his filters. Perhaps there's a lesson in that. Often we take someone else's opinion of an acquaintance as the gospel truth. Perhaps if we got to know the person better, we'd discover another side to the story.

Amy helps us take that second look. Things aren't always as they appear, and even at that, we all need forgiveness and a chance to begin anew. Amy takes responsibility for her actions. I like that about her. But I wasn't prepared to like her at all. Similar to the situation with Layton, Amy grew with the book, and her character took on deeper and more brilliant hues.

Amy is a good mother. Her interactions with Brianne are warm and nurturing. Amy tried to be a good wife. Her obstacles are similar to those many of us have faced: a busy husband with a demanding job and not enough of him left at the end of the day for his family. Amy tried to be a good daughter. As an only child, she had the burden of being everything to her demanding parents. Pleasing others became a lifestyle that got her into a mess when she blamed herself for everything that went wrong.

Amy becomes a sympathetic character. We can learn a lot by how she handled adversity, and especially how she learned to trust. Amy, you're my heroine!