What can we do when we are facing trials and tribulations that test our faith and endurance to their limits? As Christians, we are not immune to the hardships, and trials of life, even though we trust in the promises of God. The Bible does not tell us that we will not face difficulties. In fact, it tells us that we will do so. John 16:33” These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation but be of good cheer: I have overcome the world.” We know that the problem of evil has existed since the days of Adam and Eve. However, we believe that God will not abandon us and that He will give us the strength to live through and overcome difficult situations. Deuteronomy 31:8, “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” There are more than one hundred bible verses about that subject. It also tells us that, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1)
How do we cope with trying situations? How do we respond to the challenges and difficulties that come our way? How do others around us react to us when we face such situations? Do they offer comfort and support, or do they add to our misery and pain? Many of us have asked the question, “Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people?” There are many biblical examples of people who went through suffering and persecution, but here is one that stands out and is often preached about.
The Story of Job
This is one of the most remarkable stories in the bible that illustrates the different reactions to suffering. It is a story that is challenging to understand and comforting at the same time. Job was a righteous man who feared God and shunned evil. He went through a series of devastating trials and during this period he made this quote which depicted his personality” All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils; My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit. Till I die I will not put away mine integrity from me. My righteousness I hold fast and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live.” Job had a large family, great wealth, and many servants. He was blessed by God in every way.
One day, God asked Satan a question, Job 1, “ And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?”
Satan challenged God and said that Job only loved God because of his blessings and that if God took away everything he had, Job would curse God to his face. God allowed Satan to test Job, but with one condition: he could not harm Job’s life. Job 1: 9-11, “Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.”
Satan unleashed a series of calamities on Job. He lost his livestock, his servants, his children, and his health. He was left with nothing but his wife. After the loss of his children and flocks Job got sick, and his body was covered with painful boils. Job sat on a heap of ashes, scraping himself with a piece of pottery. How did Job react to his situation? Did he curse God as Satan expected? No, he did not. He said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” (Job 1:21) He also said: “Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” (Job 2:10) Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing. He asked many questions and said many other things, of course.
Remember, “…your adversary the devil as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8 KJV) and he is an accuser of the brethren (Revelation 12:10). I have listened to many sermons about Job and at different points in my life different aspects of the account stood out in my mind more than others. What is happening in our lives at a certain time can influence how we view and react to things. Different emotions will be evoked.
The Reaction of Family & Friends
What about his wife? How did she react to her husband’s suffering? She said to him: “Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!” (Job 2:9) She was bitter and angry at God for allowing such tragedy to befall them. She wanted Job to give up on his faith and end his misery. Ladies how do you feel about Job’s reply given in Job 2:10, “But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.”?
What about his friends? How did they react to Job’s plight? Job had three friends who came to visit him: Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. They heard about his troubles and came to empathize and comfort him. When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him. They wept aloud, tore their robes, and sprinkled dust on their heads. They sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him because they saw how great his suffering was.
After seven days, Job broke the silence and cursed the day of his birth. He wished he had never been born, or that he had died at birth. He questioned why God gave life to those who long for death. Then his friends began to speak. They tried to explain why Job was suffering so much. They assumed that he must have done something wrong to deserve such punishment from God. They accused him of being wicked, hypocritical, foolish, and rebellious. They urged him to repent of his sins and seek God’s mercy. When people do not understand situations and can find no logical explanations, many times we come up with what makes sense to us based on our knowledge and past experiences. Sometimes it is also based on what we have been taught and that includes wrong interpretations of events. That then becomes a frame in which we view other events.
Although we may think Job’s friends were heartless, they did much better than many close family members, relatives, and friends have done in similar situations. Many stay away, refuse phone calls, and have no time to listen let alone offer help. Job’s friends visited him and tried to console him. They offered suggestions. Nowadays we would say they were brainstorming and problem-solving. They got weary in well-doing when nothing that they said caused Job to accept their perspectives. Galatians 6:9-10, “And let us not be weary in welldoing, for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” It also tells us that we should do what is good, especially toward people who are Christians.
Job defended himself against the accusations of his friends. He maintained his innocence and integrity. He said that he had not sinned against God or man. He said that he had always been faithful, righteous, just, generous, compassionate, and godly. He challenged his friends to show him where he had gone wrong. He also complained to God about his situation. He asked God why he was suffering so much when he had done nothing wrong. He pleaded with God to answer him and show him what charges he had against him. He argued that God was unjust and cruel in afflicting him without cause. I am sure that if you were in Job’s situation you would react the same way.
God did not answer Job’s complaints right away. Instead, another person joined the conversation: a young man named Elihu. Elihu had been listening to Job and his friends for a long time, but he had not spoken because he was younger than them. But when he saw that they had no answer for Job, he became angry at them for condemning Job without reason, and at Job for justifying himself and for questioning God.
The Youngest Spoke Words of Wisdom
Elihu spoke up and rebuked both Job and his friends. He said that they were all wrong in their views about God and suffering. He said that God was not unjust or cruel, but sovereign and wise. He said that God does not punish the righteous or reward the wicked according to their deeds, but according to his purposes and plans. He said that God uses suffering as a way of teaching, correcting, refining, testing, humbling, and disciplining his people. He said that God is not silent or indifferent, but speaks through various ways, such as dreams, visions, nature, and events. He said that God is not obligated to answer anyone’s questions or complaints, but he is gracious and compassionate to those who humble themselves and seek him.
Elihu’s speech prepared the way for God to speak to Job. God finally answered Job out of a storm. He did not explain why Job was suffering, nor did he address Job’s accusations. Instead, he asked Job a series of questions that revealed his power, wisdom, and majesty in creating and sustaining the universe. He challenged Job to answer him if he could.
Job had reached a stage of desperation because of his sufferings, so much so that he started to curse his mother for having him. Job 3: 1-4, “After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. And Job said: Let the day perish on which I was born, and the night that said.” He realized that he had allowed his suffering to overcome him and that he had spoken out of ignorance and arrogance. He admitted that he had no right to question God or demand an explanation from Him. He said: “I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted. You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’ Surely, I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.’ My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore, I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.” (Job 42:2-6)
How Did it End For Job and What Can We Learn from His Experience?
God accepted Job’s repentance and restored his favor to him. He also rebuked Job’s friends for speaking falsely about him. He told them to offer a sacrifice and ask Job to pray for them, otherwise he would deal with them according to their folly. They did as God commanded, and Job prayed for them.
Then God blessed Job more than before. He gave him twice as much as he had before. He gave him seven sons and three daughters. He gave him a long life of 140 years. He lived to see his children and their children to the fourth generation. Job died, old and full of years. Let me ask you this would you want to have Job’s experience to get more than double for your trouble?
What can we learn from this story? We can learn that suffering is not always a result of sin or a sign of God’s displeasure. Sometimes it is a test of our faith and loyalty to God. We can learn that God is sovereign and wise in allowing suffering in our lives. He has a purpose and a plan that we may not understand or see at the moment, but we can trust that He will work all things for our good and His glory. We can learn that God is not silent or distant in our suffering. He speaks to us through His word, His creation, His Spirit, and His people. He is with us and for us in our troubles. We can learn that God is gracious and compassionate in our suffering. He does not treat us as our sins deserve, but He forgives us when we repent and restores us when we humble ourselves. He gives us more than we need or deserve. It is not easy to understand or accept suffering when we are going through it, however.
We can also learn how to react to others who are suffering. We can learn not to judge them or accuse them of wrongdoing without knowing their situation or their hearts. We can learn not to offer shallow or false comfort or advice that does not help or heal. We can learn to sympathize with them and mourn with them in their pain. We can learn to speak the truth in love and point them to God’s character and promises. We can learn to pray for them and intercede for them before God. We can be discerning, knowing when we should be silent but supportive. We can offer support without giving our analysis and instructions regarding the situation.
We should also learn that the problem of evil in the world is real and that we can get caught in it. If people are not careful they can allow bad things that happen to them to cause them to walk away from their faith. My friend once told me that the God she serves would not sit idly by and allow a 44-year-old man to rape a 5-year-old child. I tried to explain to her but she was adamant in her view. It is one thing to read about someone else’s bad experience and quite another when those things happen to you or someone close to you. We can pray and ask the Holy Spirit to protect us and people who have had those kinds of experiences and help us to hold on to our faith in trying times like those. When people tell you that you are making excuses for God and that you are a blind Christian apologetic, it is best not to argue that point with them. Just stick to the truths of the Bible and pray for such persons. Ask God to help them to discover who He is for themselves.
I don’t think I fully understood and appreciated this story despite reading it many times, being present in Bible studies for which it was the subject, discussing it with friends, and listening to many preachers talk about it. It was not until I went through a particularly difficult period and had a somewhat similar experience with four of my friends that I gained further insight into it. Perhaps it was because I could identify with Job’s feelings and circumstances at that time, although I was not as righteous as Job was. If Job thought that his children had sinned he prayed for them. Imagine that!
My righteousness is only by the grace of Jesus Christ under whose blood I am covered from the time I became a new creation in Him. When we are going through difficult times and days are dark, let us remember the story of Job and how God dealt with his friends and him. When your inner voice makes you question yourself or when others make assumptions about you and accuse you wrongfully, pray. Appeal to God for His help and keep on doing what you know to be right. When you are tempted to ask, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” or “Where is God in all of this?” Remember His word which tells us that His thoughts and ways are higher than ours. Let us hold on to our faith and hope in God who is faithful and good. Let us seek His face and His grace in our time of need and not question Him or turn away from Him. Keep holding on my friend.