Job Says God Seems to Ignore Wrongs
24 “Why are [a]times not stored up by the Almighty,
And why do those who know Him not see His days?
2 “[b]Some remove the landmarks;
They seize and [c]devour flocks.
3 “They drive away the donkeys of the orphans;
They take the widow’s ox for a pledge.
4 “They push the needy aside from the road;
The poor of the land are made to hide themselves altogether.
5 “Behold, as wild donkeys in the wilderness
They go forth seeking food in their activity,
As [d]bread for their children in the desert.
6 “They harvest their fodder in the field
And glean the vineyard of the wicked.
7 “They spend the night naked, without clothing,
And have no covering against the cold.
8 “They are wet with the mountain rains
And hug the rock for want of a shelter.
9 “[e]Others snatch the orphan from the breast,
And against the poor they take a pledge.
10 “They cause the poor to go about naked without clothing,
And they take away the sheaves from the hungry.
11 “Within the walls they produce oil;
They tread wine presses but thirst.
12 “From the city men groan,
And the souls of the wounded cry out;
Yet God does not pay attention to folly.
There’s no doubt we live in a broken world, and it certainly seems sometimes like God isn’t paying any attention to the injustice we see around us. But appearances can and are deceiving, as God cares more about it than anyone on this earth could. He made us to do good things, and we constantly lean towards selfish motives. And before we know it, we’ve gone down a long slippery slope to a place where we were never meant to be.
Before God created Adam, before the first star was hung in the sky, God knew what it would cost to create mankind and He did it anyway. For though God knew the cost He himself would pay, He also knew the glorious beauty that would come from those who choose life and choose love instead of hate, and He knew it was worth the cost.
It doesn’t seem pretty, because it is so easy to focus on the negative. Especially when we’re in the middle of a battle like Job was, it can be difficult to find the silver lining. Instead of wondering why wicked people prosper, we should seek to be God-followers who do the good deeds that “He prepared in advance for us to do.” When we choose to have God’s heart in us, it changes us and it impacts those around us also.
It’s not easy to be a light in a world that seems hell-bent on doing evil, but it’s what God destined us to be. So choose to show God’s love to those around you, and let His beauty be found in and through you. Let His voice be your guide, and shut out the voices that say you’re not enough, that you can’t make a difference. When you choose Him, you’ve already started back up the slope that would be impossible without God’s help. With Him by your side, you can and will make a difference. Be a light, and watch the darkness flee.