Real Hope: Learning From the Book of Jobနမူနာ

My Redeemer Lives

Job has always been such an intriguing book that can lead to frustration, confusion, shaking of fists, and stamping of feet.

The premise is unusual. There’s a righteous man, but Satan believes Job’s righteousness and praise of God is easy because Job is wealthy. But take away his wealth and his belief in God would fade. So, the challenge is laid. Job loses everything – wealth, family, health. His friends provide comfort by essentially, telling him he must have done something to deserve it. In the end, Job, refusing to deny God, stands through the test, and his wealth is restored, and he lives a long and happy life.

There are a few key aspects to this story that strike me. Job, in the midst of his suffering, doesn’t deny it. We live in a world where there is pride in stoicism. Job isn’t stoic. He’s not telling the world that ‘everything is fine’ or ‘others are doing it tougher than me’. He’s suffering and he doesn’t hide it.

Job doesn’t do the easy thing and just agree with his friends’ opinions and cave to the popular thought around him. Even in not understanding why, Job’s relationship with God is unshakable against his friends’ arguments. The practices and disciplines of Job’s life before his sufferings served him when the crises came. Job never learned why he suffered. Job had the privilege, in the end, of facing God himself. He was challenged by God, forgiven, and restored. Yet, God didn’t answer why.

Is your faith unshakable, regardless of your circumstances?

Written by SUSIE HOLT