Just about everyone has heard of the suffering of Job in the Old Testament. You might have heard someone say, “They have the patience of Job.” There is good reason for that saying. According to biblical scholars, the Book of Job is the oldest book in the Bible. If you were to fit it chronologically, it should be place in the early chapters of Genesis. What can we learn from the Book of Job? Is there application for the believer’s life today? Was sin involved in Job’s suffering? Is there sin in all suffering? Why does God allow suffering?
All was going well with Job. He had it all: A large family, wealth, and blessings of every kind imaginable. At that time, Job may have been the richest man on the face of the earth. Job 1:2-3 describes his wealth as “He had seven sons and three daughters, and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East.” Clearly, Job had it all. This must have bothered Satan because he came to God. What did God say to Satan about Job? God bragged on Job in 1:8, saying, “Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.” Can you imagine the God of the Universe bragging on Job from heaven? Might He also brag about you and your righteousness found in Jesus Christ? It is entirely possible however Satan was not convinced and said to God, “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face” (Job 1:9-11).
Satan’s name means “adversary” and he has been called the “accuser of the brethren” (Rev. 12:10). God sets out to prove to Satan that Job is not righteous just because he is being blessed. God challenges the Devil telling him, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger” (Job 1:12). Job lost just about everything; his sheep, his oxen, his camels, his servants, and all of his sons and daughters – but remarkably he did not lose his faith in God. What was Job’s response? “Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped. And he said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD. In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong” (Job 1:20-22).
Job’s friends tried to console him but they soon started to blame him for his own troubles inferring that he must have sinned in order for all these trials to come upon him. That is something that is far too easy for believers to do. When they see a Christian suffer, they unfairly assume that there must be sin in that believer’s life. But suffering is not always a result of sin as we see with Job. In many cases, those who are sinners suffer little while those who are saints suffer much. Many people see this as a stumbling block for Christianity and ask why God allows suffering. Instead of asking “why” they might be better off asking “what”. What is God up to? What is He trying to produce in us? Like the refiners fire, God often uses suffering to produce righteous character in believers. Sometimes He wants those who suffer to be more dependent upon Him. It may be that He is trying to get our attention. We might even be sinning; however we can not always equate suffering with sin in a believer’s life as we see with Job’s experience.
At first Job’s friends try to help Job but they quickly turn to accusing him of some sort of hidden or known sin. Job knows that this is not the reason and tries to justify himself against their accusations. But his justification quickly turns to self-righteousness and that is sin before God. Job’s friends say, “Is not your wickedness great? Are not your sins endless? You demanded security from your brothers for no reason; you stripped men of their clothing, leaving them naked. You gave no water to the weary and you withheld food from the hungry, though you were a powerful man, owning land– an honored man, living on it. And you sent widows away empty-handed and broke the strength of the fatherless. That is why snares are all around you, why sudden peril terrifies you” (Job 22:5-10). This brings God’s righteous indignation upon Job’s friends (Job 42:7-17).
Job is not guiltless as no man is without sin (1 John 1:8, Romans 3:23). Job becomes discouraged, partly because of the blame game played by his friends. Job begins to question God Himself and this is when God answers Job out of the whirlwind (tornado?), He says, “Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me.“ Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding” (Job 38:2-4). God puts Job in his place and in effect tells Job, who are you to question the God of the Universe? God never does answer Job’s question on why He allows suffering. God, in His sovereignty, chooses not to tell us everything. That is God’s prerogative. Also notice that God spoke to Job out of the “whirlwind” which is the terminology for a tornado or great and destructive windstorm. This could indicate that God is in all things going on this world. He is sovereign and nothing happens that is not within His perfect will. This things include natural disasters and calamities. God is never caught off guard or by surprise.
Someday in eternity, God will likely make it clear why Christians suffer – why something terrible was allowed to happen or why their child was allowed to die. It is as God once said in Isaiah 45:9, “Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker, to him who is but a potsherd among the potsherds on the ground. Does the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you making?’ Does your work say, ‘He has no hands’?” We can not question God’s motives. His ways are beyond human comprehension but clearly He does have a purpose in suffering. As God tells Isaiah, “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah. 55:9). He sometimes chooses not to reveal this to believers – at least in this life.
If Job had known that God would have restored to him more than he had in the first place, would he have questioned Him at all? God rewards Job for his faithfulness and his endurance through such suffering. This story has an incredible ending.
So Job ended up much better off than he was in the beginning. He had considerably more than when he began his suffering and even though God did not answer Job why he was allowed to suffer so terribly, in the end Job had more blessings than any man or the face of the earth at that time. The application for Christians today is that God will bless those who endure to the end and that someday, God will reward us with unbelievable blessings that can not compare with what we have today (Rom 8:18, 28). We will all suffer in this life. It is appointed to mankind to suffer. It is a fallen world. We may not know the “why” today but some day we probably will. Instead of asking “why”, we should ask “what”. What is God up to? What is God trying to do in me? The “why” will have to wait for someday in eternity. Until then, we can not fully grasp the purpose of God but we know that He will not allow us to suffer into eternity. One thing that is important is that Satan could not lay a finger on Job, nor can he us. God will not allow this (Job 1:12. I John 4:4).
Was the story of Job personal to your life today? Share with us in the comments!
(vs 5) The very next verse entails Satan getting before God to tempt Job. Truly we need to continually seek God daily but why was their emphasis placed on the reasoning which was the sin of Job’s sons and they actually cursing God. When God mentioned the word hedge in Isaiah 5:5-6 this was about his protection being over the entire nation but he removed his protection and they began to have problems. Truly there were some who continued to live right but they may have been close to those who were responsible for the hedge being broken. I do not personally know any of you out there but I believe that your suffering may have been linked to the hedge of God’s protection around your life. Ha Ha but check this out! Just as Isaiah 58:12 says “thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in”, you all out there with testimonies have already taken the first step. Job was a repairer of the breech. Look at the patient he had and how God blessed him in the end. You will too if you continue in the faith, to trust God and pray. I hope this is not too long but this was to encourage someone who is having trials and tribulations that your weeping will endure for a night but thank God He will bring you joy in the morning. (Psalm 30:5) What A Mighty God We Serve!!!!!! “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.” (Job 13:15) WHAT A MIGHTY GOD WE SERVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is such a powerful testimony my friend. Thank you for sharing this. I am sure it will help many….
Thankyou very much. I really needed that and God BLESS.
I find it interesting how Job defended himself before his friends, pretty much considering himself righteous. But then it said Job saw God, and abhorred himself, and repented, and then everything turned around for him.
And Isaiah, after He saw the Lord, said he was a man of unclean lips and dwelled among unclean people. And he was undone.
When Peter realized he was seeing Jesus said oh Lord I’m a sinful man. Depart from me.
No justifying of themselves at all.
Even Jesus when one came after Him saying good master, Jesus said there is none good but God.
Truly within us dwells no good thing.
Let us take up our cross, not seeking just to be empty vessels, but to die, so we no longer live but Christ lives in us.
Very beautifully written. Thank you… And yes the story of Job is helping us to understand what again is doing in our lives right now. God bless.
Thank you so much, our God will surely see us through.
This is great, wonderful and helping. Its a spiritual medicine for me. Thank you for taking your time to explain this book. It will help me a lot. Am happy infact am really happy.
My Friends I desperately need your help. I have had my share of trials and tribulations for the last 3-4 years. I liquidated all of my investments to chase a dream of starting a new business. One year into building it I was diagnosed with cancer. For the next 6 months I would go through my treatments. I was very Blessed that God helped me to identify the disease before it spread and also that the treatments worked. I thank God that I have been cleared for almost two years now. In the interim my business has failed. I had no inventory, money to purchase any more inventory, and am still trying to regain my strength. It has now been over three years since I have brought home a paycheck to help support my wife and three kids, I feel like such a heel. I decided to look for a new job, I am studying for my licenses to be a Financial Advisor. Throughout all of this I have been trying to maintain a good relationship with God and trying to understand, the “Why” and “What”. I attend church every weekend with my family, I believe I live a good Christian life. I am very thankful for my Blessing of a beautiful and supportive family and try not to take anything I have for granted. However, in the last five years I have developed PTSD from my military career so I am very moody and depressed. I lost my grandmother and my father a couple of months apart. I am trying to help take care of my mother. I have lost all my savings, self esteem and confidence I ever had. I just feel I can not catch a break. I spent the last couple of days crying looking for my relief. It just seems like the more I pray, the worse things get. Whatever, I pray for I usually get the opposite in return. I am trying to keep the faith but it has been very difficult. I need to pass my certification exams so I can hopefully start making money and I cant even concentrate and it is just taking for ever. Please help me to understand!!!!!
I work at a cancer center, and when I hear stories like yours, I try redirecting the thoughts to a positive side. You liquidated your assets but had money to help the financial distress you went through. Your unhealthy but your wife, and children are healthy. You got sick, but you were also healed. You have shelter and food for your family. Now ask for guidance to rebuild. I know these are harsh words, but truthful ones. What if you didn’t have the other positive sides? I try always to stop looking at what I don’t have and look at what I do have. GOD has always provided for me. It may not be what I wanted or the life I wanted, but it is a life he wanted for me, and I have to trust that it was the best one for me. There will be a day he will explain that to me.
My heart goes with you. I know it’s been couple of years since you wrote this but im am still praying for you AE. Don’t give up. God has prepared a great miracle for you. Keep the faith.
Fighting Leviathan, With a Wooden Sword!
Woe is me! Woe is me!
I have only a wooden sword!
Of Jesus, my victorious Lord!
I gently touch with sword, and out come drops of red.
Swallows heart and renews its vice!
Behold! Now Beast weakens! says my Page.
Not long ago, he was a bad Leviathan!
His dual was an unforgettable marathon!
And with kind, wooden, bloody swords, they removed blind fetters.
To fight Leviathan, your neighbor!
Yet pride in his work: he did hide!
God, I lay my heart upon my tongue!
Touch me with the blood of God’s Son!
My heart goes out to you Sir. Just like Job, you find yourself in situations you can’t explain. Please hold on and don’t give up. Find inner strength and comfort through the Word and Worship. I’m convinced that suddenly the Lord will lift you way above your previous prosperity and above your peers, just like Job, if you don’t give up. The delayed harvest in your life will one day come to full maturity. Nurture your faithful seeds.
Today I will probably acquire a new kitten to replace another who has crossed the rainbow bridge. The new kitten(cat)resembles my deceased one. The deceased one was named Joe so wanted a name almost like Joe. Thought of Job from the bible but really did not know much about Job. Read up on it and think my new found friend will be named Job! Do I sound silly to you for thinking this way?
I think its a great idea Dean. It doesn’t sound silly at all. Thank you for your comment sir.
Hi Dean, You touched my heart with this comment for I too am a kitty lover. Great idea to name him Job!
I need some advice. Some lady prayed about my life for the sufferings I’m going throught today and God gave her Job.Firstly you have to understand that I was once muslim and turn to chrishtianity due to my sickness I had seven years ago.I was scared of dying then and I accepted Jusus as my Lord and saviour.Now this lady says that in her understanding why God gave her Job was because of everything going so wrong in my life that I was to go back to my birth religion.I’m scared to go back just now God is going to punish me and will get sick again. I need some advice please.
Hello Zulfah. This sounds like an evil woman but she has no power over the children of God who have repented and trusted in Christ. She knows this deep down. Please don’t worry. God gives a person eternal life and nothing can cause Him to take it back. That’s impossible. This woman is nothing compared to God. Read Romans chapter 8 and John chapter 10. You have no fear of what man or woman can do. God is over all.
To: AE. That’s a tough situation. But realize in Christ God will not allow you to be suffered. Look for the beauty in each day. Sounds strange of advice but it is powerful. Find the beauty in each day inspite of current circumstance. Also ask yourself each day what are you thankful to God for. This will ultimately change your mind and perspective. Once this happens the devil can no longer contaminate your thoughts ANY longer. Hope this helps. God bless.
I can easily and fully identify with AE’s situation. He is a type of Job, in a sense. I tell you very frankly, the Book of Job scares me greatly. Job’s response of faith and patience is not and ordinary, human response. And when I read his story I feel truly scared where God is concerned. What hope is there for the rest of us? How do I reconcile Job’s experience with the God of the New Testament who promised, for example, “I am come that they may have life and have it more abundantly”? Or with Phil. 4:19?
Thank you Mr. Ingram. The life that Jesus promised is abundant doesn’t necessarily mean in this life. God gives us His peace and joy is set before us for what is coming in the kingdom. Phil 4:19 is about how the church at Philippi gave and gave and gave…and because they did, Paul said that God will supply their every need. God never promises happiness but He does promise joy and peace.
In response to AE I have had a rough life, I suppose brought on only by my decisions or indecision. I have always been a giving person and believer but have more often than not given in to the direction of others without ill will or bad intentions for my well being. In the early 2000’s I found church again and served faithfully, which brought me closer to God than I’ve ever been. I’ve never been financially successful although I’ve always worked hard with an honest heart but never able to grab the brass ring. After the crash things got worse and for whatever reasons I could not keep a job, which brought me closer yet to the Lord. However, when finances were down to nothing something would come along to get me through which only serves to remind me that he is still watching over me. As of last Dec. I landed a great job that I loved and all things were beginning to look up, but now once again I’ve lost my job and $$ is again extremely tight. It sometimes feels like a cruel joke that I was given hope that I praised him for, only to have it snatched from my grasp. I wonder,” Why me Lord?” then feel guilty as their are so many people in the world who’ve been dealt a far worse hand than I. What is he trying to tell me? I beg for his guidance and to make his plan clear; to no avail. However I still get those infinitesimal but clear reminders that he is still there observing but nothing else. When I think of Job and others of this time who have/are suffering far more, it humbles me but I can’t seem to to shed the depression, anxiety and worry as to what I should do. Although I’m clearly a sinner, I feel certain that I have been a good man and a positive influence on the world in which I live. As over 6 months have gone by since AE’s missive, I hope and pray that his world has become better. How can I come to know how to proceed when I put it all into his hands?
Prayer and trust in God is the answer to all our problems. However, this is very difficult to do when you are going through a difficult time. God hears our moaning and groaning.
Intercessory prayer is very important as well. Instead of trying to dish out earthly wisdom like we sometimes do, let us pray for devine intervention and devine wisdom before we give advise.
I am praying for everyone on the email list who is going through a challenging time. I pray that God gives you strength to endure as you go through the challlenging time of your life. May His love, grace, mercy and peace be upon you. Remember God is on your side, keep trusting and keep believing.
God is faithful, he will never live you nor forsake you. Be strengthened by reading Deut Chapter 8 and 9 and Lamentations Chapter 3.
From one who has been tried and tested and witnessed the grace of God. God is real, he is alive, he is Jehovah, The Lord of Heaven Armies is His name. No battle is too big or too small for Him.
I need payer and support to remain faithful and never doubt God’s love for me and His presence in my life…even in this greatest trial of my life. Since 2014, i have seen my life goes out of control and i try to find reasons to hold on and i struggle. in 2014, the father of my child walked out on us and never turned back. I struggled at work until i was pushed to resign at the beginning of 2015. I turn understood these to be God’s hints to change the course of my life. I started a business and it worked for a while it ended up giving me more stress than i have ever endured, but what business doesn’t especially at the beginning, so i endured. in May this year my car was stolen in broad day light which meant i can no longer run and support my business. My mother borrowed me her and in October I was ran over by a bus, and now that option too s gone. I am waiting on a confirmed contract but the client is not signing it. My 7 year old niece lost her mother in July a day before her 8th birthday and now i have to take care of her and my 8 year old son…the other contracts are not paying up…its just goes on and on. We are facing yet another Christmas with no food on the table. I am at the brink of losing my house as I can no longer make repayments. In the pit of my stomach i know God exists, I know there is a purpose for all of this and i dont need an explanation for it…i just need God to see me through this season.
Praying for you Miss L.M.
My heart goes out with you. I know it’s been couple of years since you wrote this but im am still praying for you. Don’t give up. God has prepared a great miracle for you. Keep the faith.
ms LM: I trully believe in miracles and I want to commend you that even in your hardship you still manage to help your niece in your situation,the lord always hear our prayers and for some of your situation we somehow are alike but i believe in the power of our lord Jesus that even if we loose all we regain glory in his kingdom which is more important than any riches in this world..God bless you and may the lord keep you safe and your family.
I was talking to a theologian last night and he had written a commentary Ecclesiastes. He mentioned about writing a commentary on Job.
He mentioned that God and Satan “plot” jobs suffering and that he is going to argue that the reason for Jobs suffering is not literal.
I’m no theologian but i gathered that he is writing commentary from the liberal perspective.
My spirit is troubled by our talks as i thought he is twisting the words of the bible around.
Hello Graham. I am also troubled about this theologian and yes, his view is liberal and not what the context indicates at all. Suffering is not a metaphor for something else…it is real pain. And to say it was a “plot of God and Satan” is outrageous to me. God allowed Satan to test Job, not God and Satan got together and made a plan against Job. That is sheer nonsense my friend. I sense this man it teaching a man-centered, “me-ology” and not biblical theology. I fear he won’t infect too many with his false commentaries.
I can only sympathise with people who take the story of Job as holy truth in its literal sense. How can Satan ever appear before God and ask God to test the faith of Job? Why was it necessary for God to prove to Satan that Job indeed had unwavering faith in Him? Think of the situation. God first murders your children to prove a point to Satan. Later He blesses you with more children. Would you just forget the death of your children simply because more children are born to you subsequently? If God is light and Satan is darkness, darkness simply cannot exist where light is present. The story of Job is pure fiction created to facilitate the debate on some serious philosophical questions. A God who makes the faithful suffer in order to make Satan happy is certainly not the God that Jesus preached. Jesus preached a God who forgives your gravest sins and inequities. He did not preach a God who makes the innocent suffer hell on this earth to keep Satan in good humour. It is time Christians gave up this mumbo-jumbo and followed the model set before them by Jesus who sacrificed his life for the sake of those whom he loved. Faith that is not practiced is dead as a dodo. Thanks.
Hello George and thank you for your comment. The Book of Job records what actually happens and is not a metaphor at all. It did happen. Satan killed Job’s children, not God, but the Jesus you have is another Jesus. Jesus preached repentance and faith (Mark 1:14-15), and said elsewhere, “Unless you repent, you shall all likewise perish” so Jesus is love and forgiving, but only if a person repents and trusts in Him. Without repentance, you don’t have the same gospel Jesus preached. God is light but He also is holy and judges all sin. You said “did not preach a God who makes the innocent suffer hell on this earth to keep Satan in good humor” but Jesus spoke twice as much about the dangers of hell than He did heaven, so you’ve got a different Jesus. God forgives but if a person repents and trusts in Christ. God doesn’t make the innocent suffer, because none of us are innocent…not even one (Rom 3:10-12, 23). Just because you don’t understand the Book of Job is no reason to say “God murders children.” Wow. that’s harsh but it’s also untrue.
I first came to read the bible as a devout atheist with a curiosity of all religions. So I approached it from a neutral standpoint. I have read the New Testament completely several times. I find the Old Testament mostly difficult to read, and it strikes me as Man’s interpretation of God that was a somewhat brutal understanding of God’s teachings; not surprising as it was a brutal world. The New Testament refines and clarifies what it is to be a Christian that prevents a misguided and brutal understanding of the principals of God. Two books of the Old Testament that I have read and see significant wisdom and teaching are The Book of Proverbs and Job. In short, it is my belief that Job is a teaching of principles and not a literal story. I base this on the New Testament that clearly is a telling of how the blameless are made to suffer by evil and the wicked. It also indicates who we are in relation to God; we are God’s crop, that which grows tall and true shall be harvested into the house of God; that which is spoilt shall be rejected. Satan has been rejected by God and cast back into the field; angry and jealous Satan seeks to destroy that which God planted. It is clear that Satan does not need to target those who have not grown true, for they are lost anyway. Satan will target those who have grown true and strong for he wants to deny God his harvest; Satan will attack the good crop to spoil it.
Job is symbolic of the righteous person; Satan targets Job because of his righteousness and favour with God and wishes to turn Job against God. This to me is the overriding teaching of the book of Job. Satan can touch flesh and bone but your spirit belongs to God and only you can defile it and cause God to reject it. Resist Evil to the end without question and God will receive you for it.
Hello John. In Job chapter 1 the author states that Job was a righteous man and that Satan wanted to test his righteousness to prove that it was because he obeyed only because he was blessed, which wasn’t true. It says as much in chapter one and I think we can’t argue with Scripture. Thankfully, we are made acceptable, not by trying or striving to resist evil but by the free gift of God’s grace (Eph 2:8-9) and that our righteousness comes from Christ (2nd Cor 5:21) and not from resisting evil, although we should certainly strive to do that anyway.
Personally I hate the story of Job, it makes it seem as if Job is a mere play thing between Satan and God – similar to how the greek deities would toy with man.
As someone who has lost faith, I don’t understand god’s plan for suffering and even if I did understand – what if I (or many other people who suffer) dont like that plan. Why are we subject to suffer for a plan we can’t fathom or have no say in? Furthermore “what” is God trying to bring out of us – that justifies suffering? Of course these questions can’t be answered (surprise!!!) so the story of Job leaves me hollow.
Hello my friend. Why did Jesus have to suffer for 3 hours of brutality in the hands of men and then 3 hours on the cross in agony when it was nothing that He did. He suffered and died for us who were ungodly, wicked sinners and enemies of Go d(Rom 5:6-10). If you reject God, then you know that the suffering to comes is millions of times worse and without end. Why did Jesus have to suffer and die for us who didn’t deserve it? That to cannot be answered except for God’s love.
I have suffered quite a bit in my life. But of late, there has been so much more to add. I take comfort in this story of Job and pray that my Faith in God will be strong enough that He will also grant me blessings and see me though this.
Thank you “S White.” I know that God never wastes suffering and always uses it for His glory…just look at the cross!
A very good friend told me this story over lunch as we had just finished getting out of court for a custody case I have for my children…in which things went south and once again I found myself getting the shortest end of the stick. It was something I wanted to look into and then I found this article. The mother of my children decided to leave the house with my 7 year old son and 1 year old daughter a year ago. And for the last year it literally felt like I went throug hell, but through it I submitted to God and did everything through him. Today I remember walking out of the court room with the biggest pain and a confusion beyond my understanding. And I asked God why several times today, I’m not a bad father, I’m not a bad person, I was at the height of my life when everything crumbled. And after a year, on the day I had waited on for A YEAR I still suffered inequality and injustice. After reading this it was a good reminder that FAITH in GOD is one thing I cannot lose, And that his grace is sufficient. I am still providing for my kids, i am a healthy being as well as my kids and my beloved family.
Praise God for your strong faith Javier. What a powerful testimony to the faithfulness of God you are, even after suffering like Job in many ways. May God richly bless you sir. See you in the kingdom. Praying for you right now.
I’m a practice of a different religion but I always have the utmost respect for all religions. Christianity has always been an open door in my life for some reason , I guess its because of family crossings in this religion especially a very dear grand-mum. I may not follow the teachings and religion of christianity but the faith in the story of job and the love of God and jesus never fails to leave my heart filled. My life is shattered as I have lost my dad in the past 10months with his passing on. It has made me bitter to the world and wanting to go on . I never imagined I could ever truly lose such a wonderful dad. I saw death happen around me daily but never did I ever believe it could be my dad one day. I lived everyday in his love and its this love that made me oblivious to life and how God can take a life in seconds. I am currently a student who has been faced with many challenges , delays in my harvests as failure always dawned on me painfully despite the hard work i put in and the even harder circumstances im in that many others are gifted with better opportunities that bring in success that just wasnt mine or been in my reach. I was graced with opportunity however it is one that brings challenges you have to hurdle through that knocks you down emotionally with no guidance and eats at your faith alot of the time. My dad was and is my strength for all that i did especially for enduring all of this and now that God had crushed my world by taking him away I have totally lost my mind and it feels like a dark world filled with emptiness in all i do , say or have to live with. Even eating has lost its value in my life. The joy in everything is gone because my father gave my life breath and meaning. I miss him painfully everyday . I will say this much i have sat questioning God many a times especially now and have fought with him sadfully. However no matter how much i wanted to fight and remain angry with him , looking at my blessings and having such a wonderful father as mine even for the short time I had will always outweigh all of my sadness and pain. I cant help but hold a grateful heart for Gods mercy in giving me such a beautiful life. Its never been easy or the one i wished to have with the work i put in and failed in attaining sooner but being the daughter of my father and having his love for 25yrs of my life and him is worth my life itself. Nothing can be greater then this. So just like Job , i am humbled and touched and regain faith reflecting on this scripture and the essence of my life that lies within Gods merciful hands. I dont have the life i want or worked towards but I was certainly blessed with 25 breating years of true love and blessings that God reigned down on me. While many seek material blessings in life and Gods hands over All I ever needed and will be extremely grateful for is My 1in a million Dad. ( my mother is just as exceptional and I am blessed to still have her) even if I havent yet achieved materail success in this world , Gods Love in the form of my parents is more then enough. Days still hurt and bring tears that i cant control with missing my dad. I will hold my head in my hands however for being angry with god and not trusting that he knows best even when i cant see his plan. I wish my dad could be with me forever but I know God blessed me with his Life and Love and he needed him in heaven as his love is probably more then I could give even if i had to rip out my heart literally , God ulitimately proves to be more powerful even in Love as he breathed life into my precious Dad . I cant compete with that but I will trust that he is safe and in the Arms of Our Loving God.
for the last 6 years I have been suffering great and sometimes unbearable pain from a motorcycle crash. I’m holding on to my faith in the LORD and not letting in satin get a grip on me, but sometimes it is difficult. please say a prayer for me. HELP ME THRUGH THIS.
Praying for you now Mr. Bostic. I am so sorry you are going through this sir.
This article made me cried my last tear. I was angry with God for allowing my pregnancy knowing exactly what would happen….that eventually I would have miscarried. I asked why he allowed me to have this pregnancy if being the Alpha and Omega, all knowing God, it would have cone to an abrupt end 9 weeks later. I was angry that He would put me through the hurt and pain of losing a SECOND baby. We we happy yo know that this pregnancy was not ectopic as the previous and started talking and planning ahead. Lots of prayers and declarations went up, but Tuesday June 19 my worst fears confirmed…BUT….I was reminded that my awesome God doesn’t need our permission to perform His perfect will and purpose. I have NO right to question His plans. We may not understand, but it is for us to trust in spite of.
God allows sufferings to bring us out as pure Gold. Thank you for this article and reminder that I am favoured by my heavenly father even in darkest times.
I need all the support I can get. I lost my fiancé on June 10 this year and it is really hard on me. You see, we worked together, we lived together. We do almost everything together. It pains to see that he is not here anymore for me to gaze at while I am at work. I asked God the WHY question. I don’t understand why he has to leave me? We were just starting to plan our lives together. We were suppose to get married this Summer. I am so hurt and I need help to understand why we were not given a chance to be happy together. We felt like soulmates, we have almost the same similar things in our lives, same diseases we have, allergies to food and drugs.
Hello Mariefel. I know it hurts now, but think about this. What if you had married him and then he left and you were left alone and had to divorce. It is better to find out this man’s nature now than after the wedding bells ring. Why all of this? I don’t know. I would ask prayer from your church as we’re commanded to need one another (Heb 10:24-25). Job never did find out the why of his suffering and he was not responsible, so I am sorry. I hope you have some strong Christian friends in your church who can support you and be with you and listen to you.
There is an interesting correspondence between Charles Darwin and his early theory of evolution and the story of Job. During the 19th and 20th century we (the scientific world) considered God was an irrelevancy; we knew it all without God, beginning with Charles Darwin. Charles lost his favourite little daughter and he became somewhat embittered with God; we can understand this embitterment; we saw it with the story of Job in the Old Testament.
Hello Mr. Fleming and thank you for your comment. I can see what you mean by Mr. Darwin’s bitterness coming from losing his daughter, but Job lost all 10 and never turned away from God. Job was angry for a time until God answered him and said who is he to question the Potter as He has every right over the clay vessels that He created.
Thank you for this summary of the Book of Job. it is very timely because in our church this book is our Bible Study topic. The summary is easy to understand and this book is very relevant to our lives as Christians. I believe that when we suffer we are just partaking in the suffering of Jesus which was very, very severe that as human beings we cannot endure it. We are more fortunate that we don’t have to be crucified as a means of suffering.
This story really made me understand the suffering my husband has endured. He has had seven operations this Year, I cried out to God “why my husband”? But, my husband always says that “God got him” in all his suffering, yes it has been life altering and even life threatening but God has allowed him to still be with me. I have cried so many tears and sometimes I get so scared of losing him but the story of Job came to mind how he lost everything and God restored him double!!!! I want the double blessing for me and my family. God promise us if we are faithful and trust him he will bless you and I thank him.
I could say that I have lost everything but I Will Not. The Angels in heaven has called my husband’s name on February 4,2019. My whole world is different now. My loving husband, Who was everything to Me. I’m hurt and wish it wasn’t so. It feels like a dream right now. I will not ask Why. I’m just accepting. I can relate to Job even after losing everything. The Lord Is Good and He said He will never leave me nor forsake me.