My wife was angry at God because her friend just couldn’t get a break.
Another medical disaster had overwhelmed my wife’s friend. A reaction to medication had turned her foot into a dark lifeless-looking appendage. My first thought was that doctors might have to amputate her foot.
I am proud to have a wife with a tender heart instead of one with a self-righteous attitude, such as that of Job’s friends. If a person suffered, Job’s friends were quick to assume that person wasn’t righteous enough. Job called them out about their hard-hearted attitude.
But our friend is a godly handmaiden of the Lord and had not forsaken the fear of the Almighty. Yet, after a lifetime of medical issues, she had this scary reaction—a situation that led my wife to worry and to show brief anger toward God.
God wants us to be honest with our negative feelings and not bury them. But He also wants us to show our belief that He knows best by later confessing our sorrow. When we do, deep trusting prayer for healing takes over, and the peace that passes understanding through Christ our Lord results. God’s prescription for anxiety is given for overwhelming times that we often just cannot cope with—as we witnessed with COVID-19.
Ask God for opportunities to show kindness to your friends who are afflicted.
(Photo courtesy of pixabay.)
(For more devotions, visit Christian Devotions.)
The Rev. Dr. Bob Segress served as a licensed psychological clinician for twenty-five years. Upon retiring, he served for fifteen years as a prison minister. Retiring again, he began writing full-time after a period of boredom. He has written: The Biblical Approach To Psychology while serving as a college educator, The Shelton Series, and, in 2012, Ten Years Inside Shelton Prison. Currently, he writes for several publications such as Halo Magazine.