Suffering: Cascading Loss, Like Job

When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken.

Psalm 34:17-20 (ESV)

Cascading loss is a series of falls: receiving hit, after hit, after hit. Have you noticed bad things can come in groups?

Or maybe you’ve seen somebody receive an unusual number of setbacks? You wonder why and pray for that person (hoping you don't suffer similarly).

In one amazingly terrible day…

  • Job lost all ten children– and his servants.

  • He lost 11,000 animals.

  • Next, He lost his health and his wife's respect.

  • Adding veiled insults to his injuries, Job’s three closest friends started blaming him!

They were supportive at the beginning, but fell into the temptation to judge. They were religious men who studied God, and resolved that Job was being punished.

Actors, models, and talent for Christ:

The Book of Job distinctly illustrates how the best people can suffer losses. It also shows how intelligent men, including educated men of faith, can misinterpret God and get things wrong..

Many Bible scholars write about Job, and you can study their commentaries. Better still, re-read this Book for yourself. Study under its Author DIRECTLY!

God desires to teach you PERSONALLY. No human, no matter how wise he seems, should presume to be God’s interpreter.

Job's friends were wrong. Pastors can be wrong, too.

Perhaps the worst cascading loss today is a massive movement OUT of the church. One name for this loss? EXvangelicals!*

No Christian should learn solely from preachers (nor from their popular, best-selling books, nor from sweet, handy-dandy devotions).

At best, they (and I) might be supplements. ‘Test everything. Hold fast to what is good’ (1 Thessalonians 5:21)  But… the Bread of Life MUST BE “consumed” first.

P.S. In your role as ambassadors for Christ, you’ll lead lost lambs and sheep back to The Word.

Suffering: Cascading Loss, Like Job (Part 47)

* Exvangelicals: The Americans Who Are Leaving Evangelical Christianity Behind.

NOTE: God is my Ghostwriter. If what I write is good, it’s from God! We’re ALL called to be actors (action stars) for Jesus. We’re ALL called to models of Jesus, and we ALL have gifts, talents, and callings from God–  to multiply them in the world for His glory.

P.S. NO DEVOTION, PREACHER, or SERMON… can begin to replace personal time in the Bible. I wholeheartedly and clear-headedly recommend READING THE BIBLE DAILY.

WARNING: Don’t focus on favorite verses, because out of context, they’re often misinterpreted. I plead with you to READ AT LEAST 1 BIBLE CHAPTER DAILY. How long does it take? An average of 5 to 10 minutes!

Carey Arban