When God Moves Closer

Scripture:
What is mankind that you make so much of them,
     that you give them so much attention,
that you examine them every morning
     and test them every moment?
Will you never look away from me,
     or let me alone even for an instant?
Job 7:17-19

Observation: The first of Job's friends speaks, and Job responds. The friend's words are actually mild and more-or-less fair, and simply say that ... God is available to pray to, and if Job reaches out to the Lord he will surely hear his prayers and offer comfort and restoration. Job isn't having it. Job has been pushed to the edge by the events that transpired, and simply wants to die. He previously cursed the day of his own birth, declared he would be better off if he never existed, and stands by the idea that he doesn't want restoration, but rather he wants release from life.

And Job concludes this thought this way, wondering why God even pays attention to mankind. God is all-powerful and created all things. He has lots to do all over the universe even without considering the lives and actions of a few billion humans. Yet God pays attention to people, even down to individual persons, even down to Job himself. God examines them, tests them, communicates with them, observes their actions and corrects them. At the very least, if Job cannot die, then certainly at least the Lord can just ignore him and leave him alone.

Application: I feel like this might be a common thought for believers. By 'common' I don't mean daily, but at some time in our journey with the Lord we all think, "Why would you even care about me?", and likely at least once we hope, "Just leave me alone, God." Such thoughts may come in times of hardship, or times when we are ashamed, but no matter what I'm betting that, for most believers, such thoughts do come.

Job wasn't just some believer. This first friend even starts the entire dialogue pointing this out, that Job is a man who has both honored the Lord and uplifted others his entire life. Job is a good and faithful man. However, diseased and alone, he feels separated from God, and in that pain he wishes for separation. Being close to God didn't prevent this pain, so why would he want to restore his proximity to God.

I get that. I've felt that, too. The lesson Job will learn - that I have learned - is that, sitting right there in an ash heap, covered in sores, his children dead and livelihood lost ... God has actually moved closer to Job, not away. God has always watched Job, but he is now right there with Job, and is about to even appear to him face to face. Job's works didn't protect him from hardship, but soon his honest relationship with the Lord will restore him.

Prayer: Lord, hardship will befall my family again. I know it. Please give us your love, and move closer to us in comfort and love, when it does. Amen.