During my first year of seminary, I listened as a new friend described
her life. Abandoned by her husband, she was raising two small children alone.
Earning just over minimum wage, she had little chance of escaping the poverty
and dangers she described in her neighborhood.
I was moved by her concern for her children, and asked, “How do you
handle all of this?” She seemed surprised by my question and replied, “We are
doing all we can do, and I must leave them in God’s hands.” Her trust in God in
the midst of trials reminded me of Job’s trust (1:6-22).
A year later, she phoned and asked if I would come be with her at the
funeral home. Her son had been killed in a drive-by shooting. I asked God for
words to comfort her and for the wisdom not to try to explain the
unexplainable.
Standing with her that day, however, I marveled as again and again she
comforted others—her confidence in God unshaken by this terrible blow. Turning
to me as we parted, her final words were a poignant reminder of the depth of
her faith: “My boy is still in God’s hands.” Like Job, she “did not sin nor
charge God with wrong”(v.22).
We too can develop an unshakable faith by daily walking with the Lord.