BibleProject | Trusting God Through Sufferingናሙና

Job, like his friends, assumes that the universe was justly designed so that righteousness is rewarded and evil is punished. But unlike his friends, Job knows that his suffering is undeserved, so he concludes that God must be the one guilty of injustice. How does God respond to Job?

God’s answer to Job comes at the end of the book and directly confronts Job’s conclusions about God’s injustice. He appears to Job in a storm and takes him on a virtual tour of the universe. From the whirlwind, God asks Job mind-boggling questions about the origins and order of the cosmos. Was Job around when God architected the earth or when he organized the constellations? Has Job ever commanded the sun to rise or controlled the weather? God’s speech explains that the world is complex, but God also perfectly understands and cares about every single detail. His explanation deconstructs the notion that Job could begin to have enough perspective to accuse God of injustice. So how does Job respond?

Job is deeply humbled by all this. He acknowledges that he overstepped his bounds, apologizes for his accusation, and returns his trust to God. In reply, God says that he has spoken well, showing readers that honest prayer, trust, and humility are ways we too can endure our suffering.

Reflect:
1) When have you been confronted with your own limitations in a way that humbled you?
2) When Job says he will “despise himself and repent” (Job 42:6), he’s not saying he will hate himself or that he is worthless to God. The Hebrew word sometimes translated “despise”can also be translated as “refuse.” Job is saying that he will refuse his own limited judgments in order to trust God’s infinite knowledge. What has it looked like for you (or others) to humbly trust God’s understanding in the midst of suffering?
3) Turn your reflections into a prayer. Express your awe of God’s power and understanding of the world he created. Be honest about your pain as well as any ways you’ve misjudged or accused God. Pray for God’s healing and comfort for you and all the others you know who are suffering.