Are You Tired and Weary?: Think of Jeremiah and how, after being put in stocks for just one day, he was complaining and cursing the man that announced his birth, and wishing that he had died in his mother's womb. Why? He was tired. Or.... think of Job's wife. Most people think of her telling Job to curse God and die (Job 2:9). But why wasn't she rebuked with the three so-called “comforters”? Job's wife was tired—probably more tired than we can imagine. Consider the following: · When the messengers told Job that he had lost all his livestock, Job's wife lost hers too. · When Job was told that he had lost all his land and material goods, Job's wife lost hers too. · When the messengers told Job that he had lost all his children, Job's wife lost hers too. The children that she carried for 9 months, bonded with as she breast-fed each and everyone of them, watched them grow up and stand tall, only to lose them all at once violently. · Then, to make matters worse, her husband mysteriously and suddenly developed huge boils all over his body that are open and oozing pus and stink. She watched as the man she loves, the father of her children, cracked a pottery jar to scratch himself in order to alleviate some of the pain, but to no avail. This man, who has been all that to her, is staying away because his breath is so bad that no one can stand it. And she can only sit by helpless, without any explanation for anything. Would we want to continue to see someone suffer or would we too want him to die? Most of us would want a loved one out of their misery. So when Job's wife said “curse God and die,” she wasn't being disloyal to Jehovah. She wanted her husband's misery to end. It was an act of love. She was tired! In the end, not only was she not reproved but she was blessed with everything that Job received: more children, more wealth, and a healthy husband. There are times when, due to our health problems—either physical or mental—we are not doing all that we feel we should. If a friend asked you if you considered Job a faithful man you would said, 'oh yes!' But remember: at one time, all Job could do was sit in the dirt and scrape his sores. That was his act of worship, proving Satan a liar. He did not lose faith. So, next time you are being hard on yourself for circumstances beyond your control, remember the account of Job. We can, in spite of our circumstances, still give a reply even if we are just breathing and praying to Jehovah to get through the next minute. Whether it is physical or mental distress, we can be like Job, only able to scrape his sores and praying to get through this trial. Yet we are still doing what Jehovah has asked us to do: give a reply to the one who is taunting Him.
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