Related thread:
THE PRAYER OF JOB
Long hidden in an obscure part of the Bible just before the Psalms (you may have to consult the table of contents to find it), the Book of Job is a revelation to many churchgoers. The book is based on statements of Job recorded in Chapter 14: vss. 1, 10, 22: "Man that is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble. Man dieth and wasteth away; yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he? His flesh upon him shall have pain, and his soul within him shall mourn"........"I picked up 'The Prayer of Job' at the local Joshua's Book Store, and the next day an inspector told us our house was infested with giant Formosan termites and toxic black mold. It was amazing how the text of the prayer reminded me of a simple truth...things can always get worse"....
....The theology of The Prayer of Job has become a matter of debate. Despite it's growing popularity, some theologians warn the book is pandering to a sado-masochistic streak in American religion akin to Presbyterianism. "Soon we'll be having to explain every bad circumstance as being solely from the hand of God rather than blaming it on Satan, the TV networks, Bill Clinton or the IRS," said Pastor Sid Precious of Holy Trinkets Church of the Kudzu in Raleigh, N.C. With The Prayer of Job as their guide, "people might not even need or want professional counseling at all." Bishop S.T.D. Takes of Greater Bullion Community Church in Houston, agreed. "Half my sermons are spent reassuring the congregation that God really isn't behind the bad things that happen to them; that if they just behave, pray more and give more, God will snap to the fact that he made a mistake and go back to fix it."
Thank you for this reminder.
I have very often said that all good gifts come from above and that all evil that may befall us is the result of the exercise of the unconsecrated free will of individuals, straggling consequences of past actions or in some isolated cases directly from the dark spiritual realm.
God in His Permissive, not direct, Will may permit these events, by trying our faith, with the sole purpose of furthering our spiritual growth and endurance.
We often however, and me personally, have made the grievous mistake in the past of believing God has it in for us. There is nothing we can do to make God love us more or make Him love us less.
God in His Sovereignty tempts no one, but in His permissive will only allows certain undesirable events, whether they be brought on by exterior forces or we bring it upon ourselves, always in His Love and with His perfect intention for us in mind.