Do you try to distance God from calamity? Job 15-17

Job 16:11-12 (NASBStr)

“God hands me over to ruffians

And tosses me into the hands of the wicked.

 “I was at ease, but He shattered me,

And He has grasped me by the neck and shaken me to pieces;

He has also set me up as His target.

If you read the story correctly, what Job states in the above passage, he is technically right ... God did hand him over to "ruffians" - Satan!  When it comes to suffering, people who believe in God try to distance Him from the suffering so as to not incriminate Him and maintain their false impression that since God is Good, He can't possibly be involved in calamities in our lives.   This is an amazing to structure our view point of suffering because it is NEVER good to distance God from us, especially in a time of need.   Job's friends did not understand the real story here so they simply stated God IS involved in this but the cause is entirely related to Job's sinning.  Yet, we read in the first verses of the book that is not the case.  God actually put Job out as a representative of what He was looking for in His children.   Job is close enough to God, however, to know the truth about God.  Job believed God was sovereign and since He was sovereign He was sovereign over EVERYTHING and not just somethings.   Job knew if he was suffering and had pain than God had to allow it.  Note what the prophet Isaiah says about God and the sufferings and difficulty of mankind:     

Isaiah 45:7 (NASBStr)

The One forming light and creating darkness,

Causing well- being and creating calamity;

I am the Lord who does all these.

God is not bashful.  He tells Isaiah that it is HE who creates calamity.   We give entirely too much power to Satan when we believe he is in charge of the bad and God is in charge of the good.  We act as though Satan is a god, too.   The truth is God creates calamity and uses it for His purpose and allows Satan and man's fallen stated to do what it does, which naturally creates calamity.   God simply removes His grace and calamity comes about.  He doesn't make sin, but when He removes His grace it creates calamity because their is nothing left to hold sin's penalty and power back.   Rejoice in calamity it that God is still in it.   As He removes HIs sovereign grace and rule to allow it (as He did for Job ... Satan needed God's permission), He will and can allow His grace and rule to bring healing as we wait in faith for Him.