There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.

(Satan said to God) “Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.”

Job 1:1,10-11 ESV

 

And so, God allowed Satan to test Job. Job lost almost everything he had. His family, his wealth, even his health.

Job wondered why all this happened to him. His suffering was unimaginable. Beyond human understanding. All this occurred sometime after 2350 BC and before 1750 BC. A long time ago.

Coming back to today and the happenings on our Earth: Numerous losses have occurred. Many have died. Others have been victimized in other ways. Like Job, I’m sure they wonder, “Why has this happened to me? I’ve lost my job, my income, my retirement savings. What will become of me?”

If such things happened to you, the pain you experienced will be beyond human understanding. No one can feel exactly the way you do. Often the worst part of the suffering is the lack of empathy from those whose lives are not touched in the way yours was. You feel alone with it.

But there is someone who does know your pain. Jesus knows it well. He himself suffered greatly when he died on the cross. Imagine what it must have been like…But you can’t. What he went through went far beyond anyone’s understanding.

This Jesus, your Savior, offers himself to you, forgiving your sins. But he’ll also help you bear your pain by sharing in it with you. Lean on him. As a good follower, stay with him during these hard times—in Fellowship, as a brother and sister in Christ.

The apostle Paul puts it this way: “Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” (Romans 8:17)

Jeff Manion, author of The Land Between, writes that hard times offer “the only space in which radical, transformational growth occurs.” This will happen for you too, but you need to keep Jesus near. Many discover that staying close to Jesus at times like this helps them grow spiritually, more than they would if life were easy. They even come to take on some of Jesus’ qualities.

Returning to Job’s story: Though Job’s suffering was great, he did not curse God as Satan had predicted. He trusted God and stayed strong, setting about to rebuild his life. And the Bible tells us that the latter part of his life was even more blessed than the first.

marja