WHEN GOD SEEMS ABSENT

Saturday, February 10, 2007

Theologian Martin E. Marty wrote a book of reflections about the terminal illness and loss of his beloved wife. He said one of the resources human beings need is what he calls “a wintry spirituality” for times when the warmth and joy is taken away from us and a sunny disposition is not enough to bring them back. We need a way of holding on to God when it feels as if God has let go of us.

The Bible tells us about a man named Job who suffered greatly. But through it all, Job finds out who God is, that God knows about our suffering and God cares. Sitting on an ash heap; scraping boils off his skin with shards of broken and discarded pots; feeling broken, sick, mocked, confused, and hopeless—Job discovered what people in pain sometimes learn better than anyone else. He was not alone after all.