Hedged In

“Why is light given to him who is in misery, and life to the bitter in soul, who long for death, but it comes not, and dig for it more than for hidden treasures, who rejoice exceedingly and are glad when they find the grave? Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden, whom God has hedged in?
Job 3:20-23
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Hedged In
Pain and suffering are a part of this broken world.  All will experience it, some more than others, but all nonetheless.  And in our current society, there is more and more accepted thought that if you are in pain and suffering then you should just end it, by any means possible.  We have devised clever names to make it more palpable to our senses; euthanasia, physician assisted suicide, going out on my own terms, etc. It is funny how we so often take things into our own hands to our determent, and then blame God for the outcome.  In the first chapter of Job Satan accused God of creating a hedge of protection around Job, and now Job uses the same language to accuse God of creating a hedge around him to make him helpless.  Job used language here in his time of severe trial and tribulation which he would not have used under normal circumstances.  But his words are not those of an unbeliever, but of someone who is desperate for relief.  Had Job been an unbeliever he very well might have cursed God and died, taking it into his own hands to do so.  But he does not, and it is by God’s grace that he is seen through these horrible times.  And so, it is with each of us.  As we face our own Job like struggles let us not lose hope, but trust in God, knowing that He will not abandon nor forsake us.  For like Job, God will not allow Satan to destroy the faith He has given you. The cross and empty tomb prove this.