21 He said,
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
and naked will I return there.
The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away;
blessed be the name of the Lord.”
11 The Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who made the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord?
Last week we talked about whose sin the blind man carried….his or his parents? We discovered it was neither. Now many people say that it is God who brings about sin. The Bible never says that God caused the sin even though He is sovereign over it. Let’s take a closer look at Job and see who takes credit for causing all his suffering.
In the above verse from Job, Job clearly thinks it is God that has brought about all his agony. Interestingly Job never puts God down for this supposed allegation, but instead gives him glory. As you read through this book completely you see the dialogue that takes place between God and satan. Satan takes credit for Job’s afflictions and hardships. God allows or permits satan to do this, but God is not directly the cause of the suffering.
Later in the book we also see that God restores Job with even more then he previously had. God is capable of ending our disabilities, but He uses these weaknesses to bring glory to himself. Further evidence that he did not cause the suffering, but does know about our every disability is found in Exodus 4:11. This is the conversation between Moses and God. God says who created you? He knows about our shortcomings along with our eye coloring, gender and he calls us His child. He may not be the direct cause of a disability, but he certainly commits to taking care of us with his unending love, grace and mercy.
What are your thoughts or opinions on who caused what? Do you feel cheated? Do you ever cry out to God in anger over your disabilities? I know that with my blindness I was just fine without seeing. When I started to loose my hearing I became very bitter and discouraged. I cried out to God about the unfairness. I received so much love and understanding back. When I am in a situation where I am faced with incredible frustration over my hearing loss…God is right there. I am so blessed by the various ways he finds to take care of me. Last year I needed a total knee replacement due to the syndrome I have. My insurance situation wasn’t the best, but God took care of every detail. He even provided $2,500 to be given to us right before surgery to help with expenses. With confidence I know God will take care of my every need even if I have no idea how..He is so faithful!
It is my prayer that you know that when you are feeling helpless, lonely or whatever negative feeling….God is right there to meet you where you are at. Take a moment and think back at how He has helped you…Always give your problems to God and then wait on his answer!