Hard times and heartache visit us all at some time, exhausting us, robbing our happiness, and draining our self-worth, leaving us to ask, “Why me?”

 

On reflection, we often recognise our own hand in our suffering, but at times it’s unfathomable, frustrating our understanding. Yesterday, in Jeremiah’s words, we prayed, “when joy is gone from our hearts” and “the crown has fallen from our head,” (Lamentations 5:15-16) recognising words that could describe us, regardless of who we are and where we live.

 

Job, a man God described to Satan as “blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil” (Job 1:8) couldn’t identify what he’d done to cause his suffering. Compassionate towards his fellow-beings, and doing good to all, he would even “make arrangements for [his children] to be purified …” and “would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them” after their feasting together, in case they’d “sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” (Job 1:5)

 

Understandably, his anguish knew no bounds when, in a short space of time, all his livestock was stolen or destroyed, his “servants put to the sword” (Job 1:15) and his ten children all killed, while feasting together, “when a mighty wind swept in from the desert …. Struck the four corners of the house” which “collapsed on them” (Job 1:19) robbing him of any hopes he may’ve entertained about living life out peacefully with his family and enjoying the fruits of his labours.

 

Don’t we all cherish this notion deep-down? We live, love, work hard, play hard, and believe we’ll be successful, and enjoy life. But when, amidst it all, suffering finds us, we discover we don’t have all the answers and have to look higher than ourselves for help. Job’s immediate response is worship, despite his grief: “‘The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.’” (Job 1:21b)

 

Everything he’d worked for, everything he’d held dear, taken away; once esteemed in his community, Job is now mocked and spat upon by young boys. So extreme is his fall that he laments: “Yet when I hoped for good, evil came; when I looked for light, then came darkness. The churning inside me never stops … ” (Job 30:26-27)

 

But Job never loses his faith. Although he boldly challenges God as he works through his anguish, questioning how He could allow him to suffer so much at the hand of evil – while wicked people seemed to flourish – his heart longs for God to hear him, to be justified before him, and restored as a man of integrity.

 

And He does.

 

God rewards his unwavering faith and ends Job’s suffering, vindicating him and doubly blessing him, that he receives twice as much as he had before. But, for Job, the best blessing of all comes before this: his spellbound experience of Almighty God speaking to him “out of the storm”, (Job 40:6) holding him to account, humbling and restoring his spirit, and giving him true understanding of the nature of the relationship He wants with Job – himself, not his good works.

 

As He does with us.

 

Prayer: Loving God, thank you that You never let us suffer alone, but open our eyes to Your presence as we persevere by faith, and grow deeper in our relationship with You. Amen