In 1870 an explorer discovered a cone geyser in what is now Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming and named it “Old Faithful.” This may have existed centuries before its discovery and continues to spout water at predictable time intervals. Millions of tourists witness this phenomenon of nature every year.
What a symbol of faithfulness! While the world was turning upside-down with World Wars, economic disasters, the rise and fall of governments, this geyser went about its business doing what God intended for it in a steady, regular way.
Today we read about a man who could rightly be called the “Old Faithful” of the Bible. Job, as we know, had been a wealthy, prosperous man, blessed abundantly by God. At the same time he was the holiest man on earth. Then God let the devil steal, little by little, everything that Job had, including his health.
How did Job deal with these personal disasters? (Job 3:1-3,11-17, 20-23).
“Job opened his mouth and cursed his day. Job spoke out and said; ‘Perish the day on which I was born, the night they said, ‘The child is a boy!’ Why did I not perish at birth, come forth from the womb and expire?’”
Job suffered so deeply that he wished he’d never been born. He, who once had been so blessed, now groveled in an ash heap, feeling that God had let him down totally. He is a prototype of Jesus on the cross. Though he could not fathom why God would let this happen, and though God brought him no relief from his sufferings, Job did not lose his relationship with God. He continued to call out to Him day and night. Nothing had the power to cause Job to turn his back on God.
The Church responds to this reading by having us read from Psalm 88.
“My soul is surfeited with troubles and my life draws near to the nether world. I am numbered with those who go down into the pit; I am a man without strength.”
These seem like such negative words, yet God regards them so sacred as to include them in Sacred Scriptures. “Pain prayers” are as dear to God as are “glory prayers.” They express our truth and touch the heart of God.
It is easy to be faithful when all is going well with us—when prayers are quickly answered, when we feel consolation from God, and when the Church shines with glory. But what happens when the bottom falls out? Do we remain faithful like Job and of Jesus did? Do we still keep turning to God even when it seems he is not listening to us?
Faithfulness is a unique characteristic of God. He instills it in us when we receive the Holy Spirit. It enables us to keep seeking God even when the devil tells us we are wasting our time.
“O Lord, my God, by day I cry out; at night I clamor in your presence” (Ps 88:2).
