Reactions

Part 3

These two ways of reacting are, undeniably, vastly different and have correspondingly vastly different effects, both on yourself and on all those with whom you have to do.

When the farmer is hoping for rain on his dry land, and the tourists and vacationers are, at the same time, hoping for continued good weather and sunshine, the farmer has an opportunity to rejoice with the tourists and vacationers over the wonderful, sunshiny weather as long as the good weather holds. And then when, contrary to the wishes of the tourists and vacationers, it rains all day long, they have an opportunity to rejoice with the happy farmer.

If people reacted in this way, it would bring an end to the constant discontent, complaining, and accusing that fills the entire world. It would do away with all sour faces. Things would really be delightful!

Repent radically! Admit that you have reacted in the wrong way—a backward and stupid way. Seek a radical salvation, so that you can completely reverse your patterns of reacting—you who, up till now, have reacted in such a backward, yes, such a poor, bad, and stupid way!

Job’s wife reacted in a most regrettable way when, in the time of trial, she recommended that Job bid God farewell. She felt that God was against Job, and she, figuratively speaking, “stabbed him in the back.” With good reason she could have said to him, “God has greatly blessed you, my beloved husband; indeed, He has blessed you more than He has blessed almost anyone else. Now He no doubt wants to test you so that He can bless you even more. Now it is vital that you trust in Him and wait on Him, no matter how dark the situation may appear. You will see; God will bring this to a blessed conclusion because He most certainly loves you dearly.” How such words would have blessed Job, especially in view of the fact that his three closest friends, one after the other, repeatedly judged him!

Job’s friends also behaved badly, even though their intention was to defend God’s actions and thus honor His name. While they honored to God, they dishonored Job, and unjustly so at that. Without having light in the matter, without knowledge of any unrighteousness in Job’s life, they judged him to be guilty of sinning. They simply assumed that his misfortune was proof that he had sinned. This so displeased God that finally He demanded that they go to Job and request that he pray for them—instead of them praying for him, which, no doubt, is what they had expected. They made the same great mistake that Job’s wife made; they should have said exactly what Job’s wife should have said.

Job’s reaction, too, was completely wrong. He knew that he was righteous, consistent with God’s own testimony about him—righteous in the sense that he did not do anything that he knew to be wrong. Job should have understood that a righteous God could not possibly punish him for a wrong he had not committed. In other words, there had to be some completely different reason and purpose for what was happening, which was to help Job come to a greater light and a deeper understanding, and thereby to a greater blessing and glory.

Yes, truly, the way you react to things is decisive.

When you see or hear something noble or good or something that is effective, be on guard against envy and criticism. Instead, take it as an example worth following. Likewise, when you see or hear something bad or foolish, do not exalt yourself; do not despise the person concerned, but be warned and admonished by their example. In this way everything that comes your way will be to your advantage. You will be happy and will become even happier as time goes by. God be praised!