When suffering comes, it pushes us to our limits. It’s hard to make sense of all the pain, and we wonder what God is doing. Sometimes it seems like He’s not listening or He doesn’t care. So we challenge Him and accuse Him of being unjust. It always brings us to the age-old question, “why does a good God allow bad things to happen to good people?” This is the same question addressed in the story of Job. He faced unimaginable suffering and loss and eventually hit a breaking point. He doubted God was good and grappled to make sense of the situation. If you, too, have experienced suffering that led you to doubt God, Job’s story may resonate with the same questions you’re asking right now.
For the first part of Job’s life, he had lived out wisdom and reaped the benefits. Following God’s commands, he saw fruit in his family, estate, and wealth. The wisdom paradigm from Proverbs worked for him: if you’re a good and faithful person, good things will happen to you. The principle from Proverbs 3:5-6 held true. So when everything started falling apart, it was confusing. Satan, the adversary, stood before God and accused Job of only living a faithful life because of God’s blessing. He proposed that if God were to remove His favor, then Job would curse God. So God allows Satan to sift his faithful servant, and Satan brings tragedy to Job’s life.
When we Face Suffering, It’s Easy to Doubt God.
For a season of Job’s life, he doubted God’s wisdom and justice. Later in the book, God speaks for himself, and the wisdom of God is proven beyond a shadow of a doubt. But can you blame Job for doubting? He experienced physical ailments, all ten of his children dying, and losing all of his wealth. So doubts about God’s goodness crept into his mind. Sometimes you will doubt as well, especially in times of pain and extreme loss. You’re going to want to question God’s wisdom. When nothing works out the way you think it’s going to, the pain can cause you to lash out at God and accuse him.
Why do bad things happen to good people? If you’re reading any part of Job’s story, you will eventually ask that question. The most mind-boggling part of this story is that even when you jump to the end, Job never gets an answer. He was expected to trust because God is good. Even Job’s friends started to ask this question. After watching him suffer, they felt someone must have been to blame. They were unwilling to blame God, so they blamed Job. If good things happen to good people, then Job must not have been a good person. So they began digging into his life looking for what sin caused these tragedies.
On the other hand, Job knew he wasn’t in the wrong. Job knew He was a good person going through bad things, so he assumed God must be unjust. He turned away from his friends because he knew they were making foolish assumptions. He could not reconcile his suffering with their wisdom, and he also could not reconcile his suffering with God’s wisdom. So he eventually went directly to God and accused God of injustice.
Don’t Let Suffering Cause you to Malign God’s Wisdom.
Job was wrong to blame God for his calamity. Good things do not always come to good people. The reality is sometimes we suffer, and we don’t know why. This mystery can either drive you away from God, or it can drive you to God for hope, clarity, and understanding. When we experience inevitable suffering and hardship, we will either accuse God of wrong or accuse others of wrong.
When you’re tempted to believe that either God is unjust or your sin caused your suffering, there is another option. Job’s third friend, Elihu, spoke in chapters 32 through 37. He offered a more sophisticated argument about Job’s suffering. In Job 34:12, he defended God’s justice, saying, “Indeed, it is true that God does not act wickedly and the Almighty does not pervert justice.” He assigned righteousness to God where it belonged and chastised Job for accusing God of being unjust. Though Job may have been innocent in the calamity that came to him, he was no longer innocent. The moment he started acting like he was the judge of God, he was wrong. Job is right and wrong simultaneously, which can happen to you or me at anytime.
When suffering, trust in God’s Providential Plan.
Sometimes bad things happen, and we don’t get an explanation. But that doesn’t mean we can’t reap benefits. When you walk through times of suffering, it can grow your character like a refiner’s fire. Like Hebrews 12 talks about, suffering can be a time when you look to God and allow Him to strengthen your faith.
In Job 38, God speaks for himself after Job dares to demand an answer from Him. Though God’s answer sounded harsh, it was not hateful. Instead, God answered Job in love as an act of His mercy and grace. From chapters 38-41, God showed Job that he was out of his depth trying to judge God on his right actions. Who are we to judge God? God can handle it, of course, but it’s not our place. God goes on and on with questions concerning the cosmos and things that Job does not understand. Through these questions, he reminds Job that he’s finite, with a limited understanding. He can’t begin to understand this universe’s complexities and how God’s justice works in this complex world as people live in sin. In Job 40:2, He called Job “the fault finder.” How would it feel for God to call you that? Even when we’re angry about our suffering, we must remember our position before a holy God. When you’re in pain, you need to trust God. Don’t let the pain cause you to doubt His providential plan.
Next Steps
In chapter 42, Job finally confessed God’s greatness. He repented his sinful attitude and believed in the truth of who God is. God overwhelmed Job with His power, responsibility, majesty, and sovereignty to help Job understand His Divine providence. That was enough for Job. Is that enough for you? We are not God, and we don’t get to judge him.
When Job repented, not only did God restore him, but He used him to intercede for his friend who spoke wrongly. He offered a sacrifice on behalf of his friend, which is very similar to how Christ intercedes for us. Jesus is the greater Job. He’s the high priest. He doesn’t just bring the sacrifice to God, but He was the sacrifice. He suffered intensely but never sinned. His suffering provided a way for us to be right with God.
When you’re suffering, do you ever question God’s wisdom? Under pain of heartache, do you ever doubt God’s justice? Don’t accuse God or turn from Him. The life of Job can give you a greater appreciation for God’s sovereignty and providence. As a part of His providential plan, He will take care of His creation and turn all things out for your good and his glory. There’s nothing more comforting in the face of great suffering than this truth!
