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Purpose in the Pain

“The Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the Lord increased all that Job had twofold. . . . The Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning.” —Job 42: 10, 12

You probably know many people who have biblical names—Jacob, Daniel, Joshua, Luke, John, Esther, Ruth, Deborah, Mary. There are even people named Israel. But one biblical name I’ve never heard a parent give their child is Job.

Many of us know the story of Job. The book begins by saying Job was the most righteous and wealthy man of all the people of the East. He was a pillar in the Lord, and it was clear that God had blessed him. But, one day when the angels of the Lord appeared before God, Satan appeared along with them. And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man” (Job 1:8). 

“Yes,” Satan replied, “but You protect him. No wonder he loves You! Stretch forth Your hand against him, and we’ll see if he still loves You.” (See Job 1:9–11.) As the story goes on, we find that the Lord gave Satan permission to attack Job, and the attack was severe. Job lost his family, his health, his reputation—he lost it all. This is hard for us to understand, which is why I think not many people name their children after Job.

Job’s life had a very happy ending. At the end of all his pain, Job told the Father, “Before this, I had heard about You, and I believed in You. But after going through this and coming out the other end, now I know You for myself.” (See Job 42:5–6.) At the close of the book, we find that not only were Job’s fortunes restored to him, but they were restored even beyond what he had originally.

If you’re going through a trial today, regardless of how severe it is, if you will hang on to the Lord through it, you’re going to come out the other end as gold refined in the fire. Beloved, your pain has a purpose. Nothing will be wasted. Nothing will be lost. It will work for good in the end.