No Restraint
Therefore I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.
Job 7:11
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No Restraint
“Bite your tongue,” we are often told. Don’t lash out, once words are spoken, they can’t be taken back. This is sound advice when it comes to interpersonal relationships. There is no reason to speak harshly or have an unkind word against another and risk destroying the relationship. Yet in Job’s case he makes it clear he will not hold back in his comments towards God. He is overwhelmed by his suffering and pain, which he incorrectly blames God for, so now he is going to speak his mind. For many this is a grievous sin, to complain to God. Yet Job finds himself in good company. David tells us “With my voice I cry out to the Lord; with my voice I plead for mercy to the Lord. I pour out my complaint before him; I tell my trouble before him” (Psalm 142:1-2). God wants us to come to Him in all things, because He knows He is the only one who has the answers. Of course, we want to always approach God with reverence, but He knows life is not always pretty, and pain and suffering do come. And it is in these times when we are most raw and hurt, when we can’t muster the strength to go on, that Jesus reminds us that He has taken on our load. He carried our struggles and pain with Him to the cross. He takes our troubles and in return clothes us with His righteousness, applying the soothing balm of His Word and Sacraments. It is in times like these we are to come to God, and confess with Peter, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God,” (John 6:68-69).
Job 7:11
+
No Restraint
“Bite your tongue,” we are often told. Don’t lash out, once words are spoken, they can’t be taken back. This is sound advice when it comes to interpersonal relationships. There is no reason to speak harshly or have an unkind word against another and risk destroying the relationship. Yet in Job’s case he makes it clear he will not hold back in his comments towards God. He is overwhelmed by his suffering and pain, which he incorrectly blames God for, so now he is going to speak his mind. For many this is a grievous sin, to complain to God. Yet Job finds himself in good company. David tells us “With my voice I cry out to the Lord; with my voice I plead for mercy to the Lord. I pour out my complaint before him; I tell my trouble before him” (Psalm 142:1-2). God wants us to come to Him in all things, because He knows He is the only one who has the answers. Of course, we want to always approach God with reverence, but He knows life is not always pretty, and pain and suffering do come. And it is in these times when we are most raw and hurt, when we can’t muster the strength to go on, that Jesus reminds us that He has taken on our load. He carried our struggles and pain with Him to the cross. He takes our troubles and in return clothes us with His righteousness, applying the soothing balm of His Word and Sacraments. It is in times like these we are to come to God, and confess with Peter, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God,” (John 6:68-69).
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