Have You Been Pickled?

Dearly Beloved,

Have you been pickled?

To be “pickled” in pickleball means losing a game by a score of 11-0. It is failing to get a single point. I enjoy playing pickleball. It is great fun, but not so much when you get pickled.

There are seasons in life when you may feel you are being pickled. I thought of this recently because I am listening through the Bible this year, and last week I came to the book of Job. Job is a story of being pickled. Job was a prosperous, highly respected person who lost everything. When all he had was taken from him, Job fell to the ground in worship and said, "Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised." (Job 1:20-21)

When I was in my teens, I was with an adult who suffered a sudden, significant financial loss. I thought he must be devastated. I commented on how hard it must be. He replied with the words of Job 1:20-21. It was a lesson to me to maintain faith in the midst of suffering and hardship. I don’t always get it right.

One of the lessons we learn from Job is that losses may come for reasons we are unaware of. In Job 1, we are given a glimpse behind the scenes in the heavens. The angels present themselves before the Lord, and Satan, the Accuser, comes with them. The Lord asks Satan if he has noticed His servant Job, a man of integrity. Satan acknowledges that Job is a good man, but says it is because Job doesn’t have any problems. Satan says to God, "Let Job experience loss, and he will curse you." The Lord gives Satan permission to test Job.

Satan strips Job of all he has, including his children. Job had no idea of the reason behind his calamities, yet he refused to curse God. Rather, in the midst of trouble, Job praised God. He struggled, wrestling with great internal turmoil, and he had questions for God, yet he maintained his faith.

The book of Job is a reminder that we may not know why bad things happen and hardships come. The reality is, we will not know or understand many things in this life. In spite of this, we may be confident and put our trust in God.

Job did not understand why he was being pickled. He felt it was unfair. Even though he lived to please God, he lost everything. Ultimately, all he had left was his faith. He said, “I know that my redeemer lives and that in the end he will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God.” (Job 19:25-26)

Job did not do everything right, particularly when he accused God of being unfair, and for that he was reproved. When Job was corrected, he humbled himself and confessed, “Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.” (Job 42:3b) Following that, God restored Job, and he prospered in greater ways than he had before.

We, too, struggle with why bad things happen, particularly when we pray in faith. Through those times, may we resolve to walk humbly and continue to trust in God’s unfailing love and faithfulness. Whether in this life or eternity, God will restore all things.

Pastor Lorne