Was, is, will be

The disclaimer for this post is that I'm not an ordained minister. (Although I would very much like to be someday.) I'm just a chick who has fun reading the Bible. (Sometimes too much fun.) See my "office?"

Over the years, I've learned that we musically inclined right-brained people have a tendency to take a step back and see the big picture, almost in a way that can be oversimplified. I mean, we have to. How else can we close our eyes, see something as vague as "emotion," and describe it for somebody else musically? I kinda think that's how God designed us. So, please indulge me, reader, while I provide/describe background music during this post.

[Queen's "Liar" playing]

I think I finally understand the Book of Job. Yes, it's a very complex masterpiece, and it's very profound truth (that is, which part of it is truth? the part where God speaks, or the part where Job's pipsqueak friends speak? or all of it?). So, there's really no way to oversimplify it -- even for us musically inclined right-brained people -- in a way that does it justice. But after reading it a couple of times and hearing lots of sermons/teachings about it, I think I finally "get" it. Perhaps it's because I have the perspective of a reader, as opposed to the perspective of a man who's covered in boils, gets lectured by his really bad friends, is severely misunderstood by his wife, and is dealing with the devastating loss of his family and his wealth as best he can.

In Job chapters 1 and 2, Satan shows up, and God asks him, "Hey, have you checked out My guy Job? He's awesome." And Satan is like, "Pffffft. If You take away all the good stuff You've given him, he'll be just as horrible to You as I am." So, God gives Satan permission to attack the heck out of Job.

[Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" playing; begin clip at 2:22]

Then in chapter 3, Job expresses his grief very deeply and very melodramatically, basically saying he wishes he'd never been born. Then in chapter 4, his friend chimes in with some spiritually abusive stuff: "Oh, well, you're just reaping calamity because you've sown sin."

And I'm reading it like, "No, the whole reason all this is happening to him is because Satan showed up, and God gave him permission to attack him."

Fast-forward to chapter 38, and God unleashes a lecture at Job that's 4 chapters long. And I really like how He matches Job's longwinded poetic tone, too. (I mean that respectfully.) God's like, "Oh, so you think you know everything, huh? OK, hotshot. Where were you when the earth was created? You wish you were never born, huh? Well, do you know when the deer are supposed to give birth? Have you seen the storehouses of snow and hail? Come on, hotshot, you supposedly know everything. Let's see who's the tough guy now!"

I'm sure Job was immensely, terrifyingly humbled in a way that no human being hopefully ever has to endure again. But I think it can be much easier to get a handle on the perspective centuries later than to see what's really happening when it's really happening.

[The Police's "Every Step You Take" playing]

"Then Moses said to God, 'Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, "The God of your fathers has sent me to you," and they say to me, "What is His name?" what shall I say to them?' And God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM.' And He said, 'Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, "I AM has sent me to you." ' " (Exodus 3:13-14)

"The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: 'Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!' " (Revelation 4:8)

Lately I've been reminded about how God is I AM. In other words, He was, He is, and He will be. In my past? He was there. In my present? He's there. In my future? He's already there. He is. He is I AM. He just is.

When life explodes in my face, it's helped me to remember that God saw what happened in the past, He knows what's happening now, and He knows what's going to happen in the future. I may not necessarily be a major screw-up. I may just be getting set up for the next move. Or maybe I'll just have something cool to put on my résumé later.

[The Police's "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" playing]

I can relate a little bit to Job (as everybody probably can). The stuff hits the fan and splatters on your face. Then people who are supposed to support you come along and tear you down. "See? I told you so. I knew something like this would happen to you."

And God is looking down from heaven, probably smacking His forehead with His hand, probably groaning in frustration, probably holding Himself back so that He won't zap some people off the face of the earth before their time. "Oh, so you think this is her fault, do you?" He whispers under His breath too quietly for anyone to hear. "Do you have any idea how many people she'll be qualified to help after I bring her through this mess? You have no idea what I'm working in her right now. Just watch. When she comes to her senses, she'll hit the Unfriend button quicker than you can say I told you so."

And then I start condemning myself, and God is like, "Hey, little girl, you have no idea how beautiful the picture is becoming. There is nothing wrong with the brushstrokes. There is nothing wrong with the color. It's coming together really well. Stop sneezing all over it."

[Billy Joel's "A Matter of Trust" playing]

During my 38 years on this earth, of course I've encountered my share of trials, just like anybody else has. And I think I've also had more than my share of really bad advice. (If you're reading this and wondering if it came from you, it probably didn't. I'm thinking about really terrible stuff I heard in the 1990s and early 2000s.) But I guess I shouldn't be too hard on the well-intentioned advice-givers. They were probably just trying to help, and they probably only had tangible information to go on. They didn't have the type of perspective that God, I AM WHO I AM, had and will always have.

Hmm. I'm thinking out loud now, but perhaps that's why He's the best Counselor in the entire universe. He knows exactly what needs to happen because He's already seen the entire continuum. He already knows the big picture. But I don't think it's oversimplified for Him. For Him, it's an extraordinarily complex picture that has an infinite amount of details, plans, fixes, redos, versions, variations, and facets that overlap one another in a beautiful way.

You see, God is the ultimate Artist. He's the One who constantly doodles, paints, and polishes behind the scenes. He's constantly making something that will reflect His beauty, glorify Himself, and bless me.

When life explodes in my face, am I the hotshot know-it-all who's able to figure it all out? Goodness, no. God is I AM, the One who was there, who is there, and who will be there.

And I'm glad He's on my side.

See my Bible-study buddy?