Our world is filled with suffering. Nothing can shake us to our core faster than an unexpected trial. Some experience war, famine, droughts, hurricanes, or other natural disasters. Others experience a miscarriage, death of a loved one, house fire, cancer diagnosis, chronic disease, robbery, violence, or a slow-burning depression. No matter how much we try to protect ourselves from pain, it’s part of the human experience of living in a fallen world. So how do we suffer well? We can learn a lot from what Job experienced and how he responded to the severe loss and pain he experienced.
At the beginning of the book, Job is a wealthy man. It says this man from the town of Uz had a large family. He had seven sons and three daughters, equalling ten which was a number symbolizing completion or satisfaction. The passage says he had around 7000 sheep, 3000 camels, 3500 yokes of cattle, and 500 female donkeys. Not only was he wealthy, but he had a lot of plowing power. He could grow vast crops and even breed massive herds of young livestock. He had an enormous number of servants to care for the land and livestock. He was a wealthy man and a satisfied man. The passage also notes that he was blameless and upright. He feared God and turned away from evil. He even made sacrifices on behalf of his family. Before the priesthood was even established, Job went out of His way to maintain a right relationship with God.
To Suffer Well: Know that God is Sovereign
Because Job was such a righteous man, Satan was eager to bring his demise. During a divine meeting, God mentioned that no other man on earth was like Job. Satan proposed that Job was only faithful because things were going well. He said Job would curse God if his good fortune were taken away. So God allowed Satan to send trials. In a single afternoon, all of Job’s livestock, servants, and children were killed. He had lost everything.
When we suffer, we want to ask why suffering exists. We wonder why a good God would allow bad things to happen. This text shows that God is sovereign. The suffering Job experienced came directly from Satan, but Satan couldn’t do anything God didn’t allow. We don’t get a formula for which suffering God does allow and which He doesn’t, but it is evident through this passage that God trusts Job. He knows Job’s heart, and He knows that Job will prove Satan wrong. Have you ever wondered what purpose your suffering may be serving that you cannot see? Job didn’t know the conversations going on behind the scenes, but He trusted that God was still sovereign.
To Suffer Well: Express Your Grief
Upon hearing of all he had lost, Job tore his robe and shaved his head. These are both cultural expressions of grief. Then, he fell to the ground and worshipped God. Though Job still offered praise, it doesn’t say he was giddy with joy in his worship. So often we assume worship must be happy. This passage shows that worship can be done even as you lay on the ground, overcome by grief.
Grief was meant to be expressed. It is not healthy to stuff the negative feelings deep down and pretend everything is okay. Job didn’t brush his loss away with a feigned smile. Instead, he allowed himself to express his turmoil about losing his family. Yet, his response reflected that He was a man who feared God and pursued righteousness.
Job 1:21-22 shares his complete response, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Despite all this, Job did not sin or blame God.” How humbling is this response? Despite everything Job had lost, He praised God and refused to cast blame. Job was hurting, angry, grieving, and broken. Yet he never turned from the God who could help Him. He surrendered, even though he probably didn’t understand.
To Suffer Well: Refuse to be Pulled into Negativity
In Job 2, the divine counsel met again, repeating the pattern. This time, Satan plagued Job with boils. The only family he had left was his wife. After losing her children and security, she was understandably shaken. She comes to Job and asks, “Do you still hold firm your integrity? Curse God and die!’ But he said to her, ‘You are speaking as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we actually accept good from God but not accept adversity?’ Despite all this, Job did not sin with his lips.” (Job 2:9-10)
It would be so easy for Job to commiserate with His wife. Misery loves company, and they were some of the most miserable people in the Bible. Instead, Job responded by speaking words of encouragement and truth. He wasn’t pulled down to her level; he reminded her who God is. Job’s friends later challenge him, and he does the same with them. No matter how many people tell him to doubt God, he remains faithful in his response.
To Suffer Well: Turn to God (Not Away from Him)
You may not always have an answer to why this is happening to you. The better question is WHO – because it always has an answer. Who is sovereign over every trial? God. Who’s going to be with you through every ounce of your suffering? God. Who can help you through it? God. Don’t let the unanswered why questions turn you away from the God who is going to help you. Job didn’t get an explanation for His suffering, but he turned to God anyway, and God gave him the strength to endure.
The question, “why does evil exist?” is not an easy question to answer. However, the fact that evil exists shows us God exists. For something to be evil, it must contradict the good thing. There must be some good in the world to measure that evil against. And where does good come from? God.
To Suffer Well: Remember that a Proven Faith is a Tested Faith
Suffering is like a refiner’s fire. When gold is heated up, it melts down. In liquid gold, the impurities float to the surface and are taken out. What is left is pure gold, tested and proven by fire. Sword-making works the same way. First, the metal is heated over a fire and becomes pliable. Then it is hammered and drawn out to be shaped before it cools down. Finally, it is folded and pounded flat, which makes the metal stronger. Because of the pounding it endured, it is strong enough to be used in battle.
Christ endured this kind of pressure and refiner’s fire at the end of His life. The heat turned up, and He was pounded with fists, hammers, and nails. He became a sword to give a death blow to the enemy, defeating sin and death on the cross and through His resurrection. So the next time you feel the heat being turned up, expect this. The next time you’re suffering and feel beaten up, realize these are loving blows from your precious Savior intended to draw out your faith, not to ruin it. He will strengthen your faith through your hardship.
A Prayer for the Suffering:
Heavenly Father,
May your peace and comfort be with this reader as they go through trials and hardships. May they suffer well, like Job. We pray that they would see the truth of who you are, a gracious Father walking alongside them and strengthening their faith through the fire. We ask that they experience your sovereignty as they express their grief to you and continue turning to you in their pain. Uphold them and strengthen them today. Amen.
