Faith holds on to God even when he doesn’t seem fair.

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Janice and I ran into these mountain goats in the parking lot at Blue Lakes Reservoir. I was surprised that they didn’t run off and disappear. Instead, they looked at us and went about their business of looking for food under the gravelly surface of the parking area.

Blue Lakes Reservoir, Colorado

These were not the only goats we saw as a group of these hardy animals surrounded us. Some were full-grown and others were babies. The babies looked cute, but they also learned a difficult lesson that day.

The largest of the goats – I don’t know if it was a male or female – was rather pushy and dominant. When one of these young goats discovered food, the larger goat pushed the baby aside and ate the grub. It didn’t seem fair.

“But now, God has worn me out. You, God, have destroyed everyone who supports me.”
Job 16:7 God’s Word to the Nations

Job had a reason to complain. Life was not turning out the way he had dreamed. He had lost everything other than his life and wife. God was the big goat who pushed him aside from the good life he deserved.

Maybe that is the way we view God. We look at the circumstances of our lives and we blame God for the mess. He’s the big goat who pushes us aside, and because of him life isn’t fair.

God reappears at the end of Job’s story, but he doesn’t explain himself. God doesn’t owe us an explanation for our lives. Yet, God invites Job to hold on to him. He calls Job to trust him even when life doesn’t seem right.

That is God’s invitation to us. His invitation is to trust him even when it seems that he is pushing us around and keeping us from enjoying the “good life.”  This kind of faith doesn’t make sense (it doesn’t have to), but it’s the only faith that brings peace in the midst of the storm.

This kind of faith holds on to a cross where God handed over his own Son to death that we might live even when life isn’t fair.

Copyright Douglas P Brauner